


Giving Chase

by Chasing_dreams



Series: Chase Series [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-29
Updated: 2012-02-16
Packaged: 2017-10-30 07:47:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/329460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chasing_dreams/pseuds/Chasing_dreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a planet engulfed in darkness, Lt. Chase Marks finds her greatest challenges...and weaknesses.  Sam Carter finds herself intrigued by this new woman.  Will they discover the reason for the darkness and their curious connection?</p>
<p>Part One in a three part series.  To be followed with Finding Chase and Losing Chase.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Dhamphir for the beta.

Her attention on full alert, Lt. Chase Marks stood on a balcony overlooking the large village encased in darkness, her mind spinning with thoughts. Her team, SG4, had arrived on this planet through the stargate and it had been ominously dark, no stars and not a speck of cloud cover. Forty-eight hours had passed and still there had been no sun, no day, just this eerie darkness. No one, not even the villagers, had any clues as to why this had happened.

Chase turned, her hands on her P90, surveying the room to which they had been assigned. Sergeants Reed and Torray had set up what appeared to be an adapted version of poker without chips on the small table nearby, obviously taking their commanding officer's order to relax quite seriously. She took in their relaxed manner – Reed’s smaller, athletic form leaned back in the tipped chair, his gaze fixed on his bulky, dark opponent. Torray sat with his elbows comfortably on the table, focusing on their game. Neither man appeared to sense any danger.

Chase, on the other hand, couldn't relax. In her soldier brain, she could just tell something was wrong, seriously wrong. The natives may be content living in the dark, using their torches and lanterns to light the smallest room and great expanse of their village, but there was something they hadn't told SG4, she was sure of it.

Nothing seemed dangerous in this room, at least, she decided as she sat gingerly on a chair near the open balcony. It was sparse, with two double beds, a nightstand, a few chairs and the table where her teammates were sitting. There was a washroom off to the side, but if they needed to relieve themselves, they would have to exit the building since this culture obviously had not yet invented indoor plumbing. Chase sighed and removed her cap, running a hand over her rich brown hair, which was in a tight ponytail. 

She heard a movement and immediately sprang to her feet, on full alert once more. The door opened and the familiar form of her superior officer stepped inside the room, his blonde hair and graying temples a welcome sight to the lieutenant. He nodded at her to stand down, indicating that things were still normal. Letting out the breath she had been holding, she slowly sank back down into the chair, awaiting Colonel Braga’s orders.

“There's going to be a celebration tonight in our honor,” he informed them, coughing a little and shaking his head. 

Chase's eyes narrowed on his face, which was paler than usual, as if something had frightened him. She knew this man, and he was not one easily frightened. She searched his clouded, blue eyes for an answer, but found none.

“Are you all right, sir?” she asked, still watching him closely.

He nodded and coughed. “Yes, Lieutenant, I'm fine,” he replied, his voice becoming faint. “Just some allergies, I think.”

Their two other teammates glanced over at him, but didn't seem at all concerned as they once again turned their attentions back to their game. Chase couldn't help but feel that knot of apprehension tighten in her stomach, her earlier sense of danger increasing exponentially. 

*

They marched in silence to the center of the village, where a banquet had been laid out for them. Chase wasn't hungry at all, but she followed her teammates, every sense alert and prepared for attack as they drew closer to where the celebration was already in full swing. She could hear the music and see the light from the multitude of fires the natives had started, but that eerie feeling still haunted her with each step.

Arriving at a long table, her CO motioned for them to sit and she grudgingly followed his inaudible order, remaining on full alert. Braga went to stand with the village leaders, the very ones who had separated the team earlier. One of the native men smiled, and held up his hands, the music ceasing at once. This was their leader, Chase recalled, taking in his tall stature, broad shoulders, midnight black hair, and somewhat friendly, brown eyes. He didn’t strike her as an immediate threat, but she watched him carefully anyway. He stood on a platform in the middle of the tables with all of the villagers’ eyes on him. Braga joined him, a small grin forming on his usually stoic features.

Chase's attention was immediately on her CO and her hands tightened around her weapon. He had been behaving entirely unlike himself ever since he had returned from speaking with the leaders, and she couldn't figure out if he was trying to fool them or if something had happened while he was there. The man next to him was talking, she realized with a start, and she hadn't been listening due to how she had honed in on Braga. She slowly turned her attentions from her CO and listen to what the leader was saying.

“Today is a very good day, my friends! Today the gods have smiled upon us once again!” His voice boomed in the arena even without the help of a microphone or speaker. “They have sent to us these travelers from Earth. We will once again be a strong, united people! Our new god is here to help us rebuild!”

New god? Chase wondered, her heart filling with dread as her intense gaze switched from the native man to Braga. At that moment, Braga's eyes flashed with an eerie yellow light and the people all around her cheered. She fought the sudden and pressing need to throw up as she and her remaining teammates leapt to their feet. Pushing the fear from her mind, she immediately slipped into survival mode, raising her weapon and taking a deep, calming breath.

Braga had begun to talk, that same raspy voice she had been informed came from Goa’ulds, but she was too focused to distinguish individual words. No doubt he was telling the people how he would lead them and take care of them, the usual fake god nonsense. She wouldn't allow him the chance to enslave these people, she thought as she sighted her weapon and her finger tightened around the trigger.

“God help us,” she muttered to herself as the bullet flew, finding its mark dead in the center of Braga's forehead, silencing the hollow rasp once and for all. His face turned to her as she lowered her weapon, eyes wide and full of surprise before they flashed one more time and he fell backwards, his body limp and lifeless.

The native leader next to him, his face spotted with her CO's blood, blinked a few times before sinking onto his knees next to the body. His wide eyes slowly rose, settling on Chase. A sense of dread once again fell over her, and she quickly began barking orders to Reed and Torray, screaming for a quick exit. They didn't need to be told twice. The team of now three scrambled from the village as quickly as their feet would carry them, into the cover of darkness and the forest that lay beyond.

*

SG1 sat in their usual positions around the table when General Hammond appeared, two of the members standing to acknowledge his entrance before he waved at them to sit down. The general slowly lowered himself into his seat at the head, sighed, and folded his hands on the black surface of the conference table, fixing his eyes on his most elite team. “It's been three days since we've heard from SG4. Their last scheduled check-in was over 24 hours ago,” he informed them, the concern evident in his voice.

“That's not at all like Braga,” Colonel O'Neill commented, echoing what was on everyone else's thoughts as he leaned back in his chair and glanced around the room, his gaze settling on each person before returning to his direct CO.

Hammond nodded. “I know, Colonel, that's why I want you to find out what happened to them.”

“Wasn’t it Braga’s team that was sent to investigate P3X-938?” Sam asked, recalling how intrigued she had been when the report had first found its way to her desk. “That was the planet that suddenly and inexplicably became dark 24/7?”

“Yes, Major,” Hammond replied, turning his attention to her. “But we have no idea if that has anything to do with their radio silence. Colonel Braga reported a settlement in his last transmission. They were supposed to check it out and report back with their findings.”

Daniel scooted closer to the table at the thought of a new culture. “So you're saying SG4 could have been detained by the natives there?” His blue eyes danced at the possibility of first contact with another settlement. Everyone in the room already knew his mind was busy theorizing what sort of civilization was to be found on the planet.

“That's one possibility, Dr. Jackson,” Hammond conceded, but he lacked the enthusiasm of the young archaeologist. In fact, his thoughts were still with his missing team, and the possibilities for their lack of communication with the SGC.

It was Teal'c who tuned himself into the general’s thoughts first. “Are we aware of any Goa’uld presence in the village?” he asked, inclining his head toward Hammond.

The general sighed and leaned back in his chair before answering the best he could, “We have no idea, Teal'c. As far as Braga knew at the time, there was no evidence of Goa'ulds, but he hadn't even made contact with the villagers yet.” 

“So we're to get in, find SG4, and possibly rescue them,” Jack commented, glancing around the table at his team. It was obvious from his tone that he was already tired of the conversation. Clearly, the only way to get any more information was to have SG-1 gather it themselves.

Hammond nodded again. “That's right, Colonel.” He glanced around the table one last time before ordering them out. “Dismissed.”

*

SG1 stepped through the shimmering event horizon, night goggles firmly in place over their eyes and their gaze sweeping the area. All that met them was silence and trees, not even the sounds of animals or bugs in the area. It was all a little too quiet around the team, something not missed by any of them. O'Neill motioned for them to start walking, but to keep an eye out around them.

With Jack in the lead and Teal'c bringing up the rear, the team formed an uneasy line for their trek through the forest, their eyes searching everywhere. The grass crunched under their feet, a sound amplified in the silent darkness. Sam stole a glance toward the sky, the scientist in her trying to find even one clue why this planet had suddenly become so completely dark. She knew that when they first opened the stargate and sent MALPs through to several planets, this had been one of them. And that MALP had sent back images of a full sky, rich with stars and clouds, not to mention after a few hours, the two suns that had appeared over the horizon. She found it hard to believe that whatever had happened here was natural, but the sky held no clues, not even for her.

“What do you think?” Daniel whispered, coming up to walk next to her.

She shrugged. “No idea,” she whispered back, suddenly aware of her CO's eyes on her and smiled sympathetically at Daniel as he stepped back into line.

*

This alien planet did not have comfortable trees, Chase mused to herself as she checked the ground for what seemed like the millionth time from her perch high in the branches. Reaching over, she touched a button on her watch, shielding it from any other eyes, and checked the time for the second time since her watch had started twenty minutes prior. Sighing, she resumed her attentive, if slightly uncomfortable duty.

They had been in these trees for the past seven hours, after their previous hiding spot had been discovered, and their path to the stargate had been blocked. It had been eight hours since General Hammond had tried to contact them through the MALP, but the natives deftly destroyed it before she had the chance to respond. She wasn’t a soldier or a person, for that matter, that panicked easily, but she was beginning to wonder if they had a chance at staying alive in these conditions. Sooner or later they would have to make another run for the gate, something she really did not look forward to with great anticipation. But they were running out of water and MREs. It was not in her training or her nature to let any member of her team die of either hunger or thirst. She would give a rescue team another hour before she made any final decisions about where to go next.

As she waited, her thoughts wandered back to the first time she had met Colonel Jack O’Neill, through whom she had subsequently heard about the SGC and what had sounded like a fantastic job at the time. There had been a punch bowl, she vaguely remembered, and she had been standing near it when he had approached her. His presence had not been noticed at first, she remembered with slight embarrassment, due to her attention being focused on a certain blonde Air Force captain, and how good said captain looked in her uniform.

His voice, foreign to her at the time, had startled her. “Enjoying the party?” he had asked, causing her turn, her eyes taking in a man slightly taller than herself, with light brown hair and dark eyes that sparkled with amusement. Her gaze swept to his uniform, quickly noting his rank of colonel, as she smiled politely.

“Yes, sir,” she lied. The truth was that she despised formal gatherings and always felt like she was dressing up for someone’s amusement. She took a sip of her punch, noticing that the colonel was holding two glasses of the pink stuff and wondered idly if he had been intending to give her one before seeing the glass already in her hand.

To her surprise, he motioned to the room around him as he replied, “Yeah, me, neither.” He gave her the slightest wink and curve of a smile before it disappeared again, leaving her to wonder if she had really seen it. 

She eyed his nameplate closely, but the name “O’Neill” wasn’t ringing any bells. It was possible she had met him previously, but she usually remembered names, if not the faces that went with them. He must have noticed her confusion because he placed one of the punch glasses on the table and held out a hand. 

“Colonel Jack O’Neill,” he introduced himself with a small grin. 

She reached for his hand, shaking it as she responded, “Lieutenant Chase Marks.”

He nodded as their hands dropped and he reached for his second glass again. “I know who you are,” he commented idly, his gaze no longer on her. “You’re General Marks’ daughter.”

Her eyebrows rose in surprise, but otherwise she remained calm. Even though she was still relatively inexperienced, she had made a point of carving out a career for herself so that people remembered her for her accomplishments, not for her father’s name. There was another reason people usually didn’t recognize her as such. “I didn’t realize the Army and the Air Force socialized very much, Colonel,” she responded, asking the question on her mind without actually posing it.

His gaze switched back to her momentarily, and he smiled wryly. “He works at the Pentagon, Lieutenant,” he answered mysteriously before his gaze was once again deflected. 

Chase followed it and bit back her own smile as she realized her superior officer was looking at the very same blonde captain who had captured her attention before. The woman was deep in discussion with an older man with a balding head, an Air Force general, Chase recognized. Still, the colonel’s attention was fixed decidedly on the captain, and Chase wasn’t exactly sure what kind of attention it was. Curiosity got the better of her, and she asked pointedly, “Friend of yours?” 

“Co-worker,” O’Neill responded with a shake of his head. “If you’ll excuse me,” he added, and she nodded, watching as he crossed the floor. When he reached his destination, he handed one of the glasses to the captain and engaged in what looked like pleasant conversation with the general.

The soft crackling of her radio brought her back to reality. It was Reed, she recognized quickly, his higher tones urgently calling out to her. “Someone’s coming, Lieutenant,” his hushed voice came through the small device positioned directly next to her ear. She shifted slightly and listened more intently, focusing on sounds of movement in the otherwise silent forest. Finally she heard it, footsteps coming from the side of the forest closest to where she had stationed Reed. It was no wonder he had heard them first.

She muttered a curse under her breath, in a language she knew neither of her subordinates knew on the off chance they heard it, and dropped her lithe body softly onto the ground below her with little effort. It was there that she waited, just barely in the trees on the side of the clearing where they had taken up their watch. It felt like an eternity, but in the dark that her eyes had long become accustomed to, she finally saw the faint forms of people entering the small clearing of grass.

*

SG1 had reached a small clearing in the trees. O’Neill slowed and motioned for his team to stop walking, his sense of danger increasing. His vision through the goggles showed nothing, but he walked a little further, testing the open space as he still kept a wary eye on the trees surrounding him. He turned slightly and motioned for Major Carter to keep an eye on the trees, knowing that they needed to be attentive. Any surprise attack would come from the concealment of the foliage.

He realized he wasn’t entirely wrong when a figure stepped out in front of him, her weapon trained on his chest and the subsequent sounds of other weapons clicking into place resounding from the trees above them. “Identify yourself,” the familiar voice commanded him.

“Marks?” he asked, knowing it was her even before the name was out of his mouth. He had recruited only a few people for the SGC, and he knew each of them pretty well. Chase Marks was no exception to that rule. “For crying out loud, it’s O’Neill,” he added, ripping off the night goggles so that she could see his face. He had no doubt that she could see, judging by how accurately she had her gun trained on him.

She only hesitated a moment before dropping the P90 and motioning for her team to do the same. “It’s okay. It’s SG1,” she told them confidently. He heard the sound of two figures dropping from their positions in the high branches and sensed his own team approach as they closed the distance, watching the two soldiers as they appeared from the tree line. They went to stand with the Hispanic woman giving them orders.

The smaller of the two men, Reed if O’Neill recalled correctly, seemed more apprehensive than Marks and Torray, a big, muscular man who didn’t seem to be rattled by anything. Reed peered closely at the rescuing team and asked, concern evident in his tone, “How do you know it’s really them?”

“Because I know,” Marks snapped, causing both Reed and Daniel to jump slightly with surprise. “I knew about Braga, didn’t I?” she added in softer tones, apparently not oblivious to the sensitivity of the situation.

“Yeah,” Reed responded softly, still not looking entirely convinced.

O’Neill’s eyebrows rose at the mention of the curiously absent commanding officer of SG4. “Yes, speaking of Braga, where is your CO?” he asked Marks, watching her closely.

“Dead,” Marks replied, her chin lifting slightly. 

Even Major Carter seemed surprise, but she remained quiet as Jack responded with a slightly curious, but not really upset, tone, “I see. How?” He knew Marks would have a good answer, so he really wasn’t that concerned.

The Hispanic woman swallowed noticeably, even in the darkness. “I killed him,” she answered. “He was implanted with a Goa’uld,” she added quickly before anyone even had a change to ask her reasons.

“Ah,” O’Neill replied, patting her on the shoulder in a somewhat comforting way. She looked up at him warily. “Probably the best thing you could have done.” He glanced around, thinking that he had begun to hear the sounds of people approaching. Instantly, Marks and her team were on the alert, looking around them with concern. “We should probably head back to the gate,” he commented, looking back at his own team.

Teal’c inclined his head and replied in low tones, “I concur, O’Neill. The natives will be upon us any moment, and I believe retreat would be the best option in this situation.”

“Now wait a minute,” Daniel started to object, his desire to meet new people beginning to overwhelm his desire to return, despite the danger. “Maybe we could reason with them.”

The lieutenant's dark eyes flickered over the archeologist’s goggle-clad face momentarily before coming to rest on Jack once more. “If you want to meet them, be my guest,” she said softly, her tone dangerous. “But I would rather not be on the other end of a spear today,” she finished, her grip obviously tightening around her gun as she stared into the trees.

O’Neill held back a chuckle at the woman’s tenacity as he motioned to his team and ordered, “I think I’d rather not stick around to find out. Carter, Teal’c, lead the way. Daniel, get ready to dial the gate and punch in the code.”

They all turned in the direction from which SG1 had come and took off for the stargate.

*


	2. Chapter 2

Chase sat on an infirmary bed as Dr. Fraiser poked and prodded her neck, making sure there was no chance she could be infected with a Goa’uld. When prompted, she opened her mouth wide to present a clean and unscarred throat. The doctor made a few notes on her chart, and gave Chase a seemingly sad smile, telling her she was good to go. Chase nodded and hopped off the bed.

She couldn't help but notice the hovering presence of two of the members of SG1 the entire time she and her team were being checked over. She wondered if Major Carter and Dr. Jackson had been sent to make sure she and her team weren’t compromised. Not that the sight of Major Carter was ever something she despised, but it was disconcerting nonetheless. Sighing, she went to move past them to the door.

“Lt. Marks?” Major Carter's voice stopped her before she could reach the exit. Chase couldn’t recall a time the woman had ever addressed her before. She did her best to remain calm and collected as she turned on her heel, snapping to attention.

“Yes, ma'am?” she answered crispy as she had been taught to do for superior officers.

The blonde woman smiled slightly and shook her head. “At ease, Lieutenant, you're not in trouble here,” she assured the younger woman. “We were just wondering about your time on the planet.”

“I intend to fully disclose everything I know at the debrief, ma'am,” Chase replied. “Was there something specific you want to know?”

Dr. Jackson nodded, pushing his glasses closer to his face. It was all Chase could do to remain still. She wasn't the biggest fan of scientists and wondered how two had ended up being assigned to the most prestigious team in the SGC, much less one with no military experience. “Did the villagers tell you anything about the sky? Did they know why it had suddenly turned black?”

Chase shook her head. “No. They only said it had been that way for many weeks.”

“Interesting,” he replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Clearly he had no idea how much this interaction was paining Chase.

The major, however, seemed to realize that something was bothering her. “Thank you for your time, Lieutenant. We'll let you know if we have any more questions,” Carter said, dismissing her. Chase gave Carter a strange look before leaving; usually people couldn’t read her that well. But Chase didn't want to risk staying around to chat, so she merely ducked out of the room as fast as she could, and headed for the locker room.

*

“Well, thank you, Lt. Marks,” General Hammond said, nodding at her when she finished her report. “I think that explains just about everything.”

The archeologist didn’t look satisfied as he shook his head. Leaning forward, he stated clearly, “I'm sorry, General, but it doesn't.” Chase’s dark eyes narrowed on him as she wondered what type of person, military or otherwise, blatantly disagreed with a general when he talked.

“Dr. Jackson?” General Hammond asked in curious tones. Chase wondered briefly if anything ever fazed him.

“Well, sir, we still don't know why the sky is black or if it will pose any potential threat to those villagers,” Daniel explained. Chase noticed that Major Carter also nodded in agreement.

The lieutenant shook her head as a defensive anger flared within her and she responded, addressing the commander of the base. “With all due respect, sir, no one on my team is or was a scientist, so how can we be expected to know such things?”

The general nodded as he leaned back in his chair, considering both points of view, “I don't think Dr. Jackson is implying that you should, Lieutenant. I believe he is requesting my permission to return to the planet.”

Chase snorted and glanced around the table, her gaze settling on a very relaxed Colonel O’Neill. She wondered briefly how he stayed so calm with such an infuriating man on his team. “With those locals out for blood? You'd be taking your lives in your own hands.”

Daniel shook his head again, pointing at Chase as if she had said something wrong. “I don't think so, sir. Let me talk to them, explain our situation. If they're still hostile toward us, we'll get out of there.” He glanced around the table at his team. “Please, sir. Just a second look.”

General Hammond looked at Major Carter as Chase folded her arms over chest. “Major, do you think this is worth a second look?”

She nodded with a small smile, her own interest in the planet clear. “Yes, sir, I do.”

He nodded in return, his gaze settling on Chase momentarily before addressing the room, “Well, then it's settled. Lt. Marks, I want you to meet with Major Carter and Dr. Jackson and tell them everything you know about the planet. You're going to be fully prepared when you step through that stargate again, people.”

“Sir, with all due respect,” Chase interrupted, “I have no interest in returning to that planet. Let SG1 go if they want, but I respectfully request that you do not order me back there.”

Hammond thought about it for a minute. “All right, Lieutenant, but I still want you coordinating with Major Carter and Dr. Jackson. I want them as prepared as they can be.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, inclining her head and standing when he did.

He nodded in the direction of the three standing officers and the two seated civilians. “Dismissed.”

Chase turned to go, but was once again stopped by Major Carter calling her name. She sighed and turned toward the woman, who was quickly joined by Dr. Jackson. She regarded him coolly as she internally convinced herself to play nice, even though he greatly annoyed her.

“I was thinking we could meet first thing in the morning at my office. How does that sound?” Major Carter was addressing both of them, Chase realized, as Dr. Jackson shrugged and agreed.

But Chase declined, replying to the woman and ignoring the man, “I’m sorry, but General Hammond wants me to be cleared by Dr. Heightmeyer. I have an appointment with her in the morning at 0800.” She noticed the slight surprise that flickered across their faces. “Standard procedure, apparently?” she added, not willing to allow either of them to think that she was being considered any kind of a risk by their CO.

The tall blonde nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds about right,” she agreed with a soft smile. “How’s 0930 then?”

Chase and Dr. Jackson both shrugged at the same time, and it was all she could do to keep from gagging. This was going to be interesting and not in a good way, she thought to herself. “Fine by me,” Chase replied, trying to keep her vision focused on the woman before her.

“See you then,” Major Carter told them both.

*

The elevator always took an excruciating long time according to Chase. Tonight was no exception since she had been away for so long and was dying to get off base. She shifted her backpack from her left shoulder to her right one, and flicked her wrist so that she could see her watch. Moving the black leather of her jacket cuff aside, she checked the time again, seeing that it had only been five minutes since the last check. Sighing, she stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans and continued to wait.

“Late for something?” someone asked from behind her, causing her to jump slightly before she turned to see a plain-clothed Jack O’Neill smiling at her. “Come on, Marks, expect the unexpected,” he teased her. “That’s what we special forces do,” he added before pressing the elevator button, even though it was obvious the button had already been pressed. 

Shaking her head, she crossed her arms over her chest and ignored how similarly they were dressed with the leather jackets and jeans. She tugged self-consciously at her red shirt under her jacket before dropping her arms and turning back to the elevator. “It’s been a long week, Colonel,” she replied. “I’ll do better,” she added softly.

“Are you kidding?” he asked finally, causing her to turn and make eye contact with him again. One of his eyebrows as arched, and he seemed to regard her closely. “You come back from a mission like that and say you’ll do better?” He shook his head as the elevator doors slid open and they both entered the car. He pressed the button for the garage level and let the doors slide shut before continuing, “I don’t think you could have done better, Marks.”

She smiled a little as she considered what he had said and finally glanced at the man standing next to her. “Thank you,” she replied simply before turning to watch the doors again. She knew it would be a long ride, but that didn’t really bother her now.

Out of the corner of her eye, Chase saw that the colonel glanced at her before he asked, “So, are you headed somewhere important or do you think I can twist your arm into coming out with Teal’c and me?”

“Sorry, sir,” she answered, “I’ve already got plans.”

“Ah,” he replied, sounding slightly disappointed. He paused, and she wondered where the big Jaffa was if he was leaving the base with O’Neill. She remained silent, though, and listened to the sound of the elevator as it carried them toward the surface. “So…” O’Neill started, and it was obvious to her that he was searching for the right words or possibly asking himself if he needed to broach the subject with her at all.

Smiling again, she answered his inaudible question. “It’s family,” she stated simply.

“Oh,” O’Neill replied, still not looking at her. “That’s…good,” he added, as he looked over at her and the doors chose that moment to open. “It’s good, right?”

She laughed lightly and nodded as they exited the lift. “Yes, sir, it’s good.” 

*

The next morning at 0800 hours she was ushered into a comfortable office for her psychological evaluation. The woman seated in a black, oversized, office chair had long, strawberry blonde hair and what seemed like compassionate, crystal bluish green eyes. She was easy on the eyes and exuded an accepting presence. Smiling, the woman rose from her seat when Chase grew closer to her and she introduced herself as Dr. Kate Heightmeyer. They shook hands and Chase sat on a cream-colored sofa opposite the psychologist’s chair.

“Before we begin, I want to remind you that anything said in this room is confidential with the exception of what could be a danger to you or others,” the woman began in soft tones, still smiling. “Let me assure you that my report to General Hammond will be simply if you are fit for duty with no specifics of what we discuss. I want you to be comfortable here. I ask that you call me Kate, I’ve never been much for formal titles. How would you prefer I address you?”

Chase shrugged. “You can call me Chase, I guess,” she replied, still not entirely sure about this whole psychological evaluation, but Kate seemed friendly enough. It probably was bad form to ask a psychologist to call you by your rank or last name, anyway, she reasoned within herself.

Apparently her comment warranted a full grin from the other woman, and Chase relaxed even more. This might not be so bad, she thought to herself. An attractive, sincerely nice woman asking her questions, even if they were hard questions, couldn’t be too difficult. Could it?

“Well, Chase, we’re here mostly to discuss your most recent mission. Where would you like to start?” Kate asked, pen and pad of paper at the ready. 

Shrugging, Chase leaned back on the couch and replied slowly, “I guess we may as well get it over with. I know General Hammond wants me to talk to you about how I feel in the wake of killing my CO.”

Kate tilted her head to one side and jotted something down. “Right to the point, I see.” She leaned forward slightly. “Chase, I want you to know that I’m not going to force you to talk about anything in here. If it’s uncomfortable or you’d rather start out with something else, just let me know.”

Chase lifted an eyebrow as she regarded the woman closely. It seemed like an unusual request, to let the psychologist know if she was uncomfortable. In her family, and in her career, Chase had learned that being uncomfortable did not excuse you from a conversation. In fact, it usually meant that whatever that it was needed to be discussed. She wasn’t one to shy away from painful or awkward subjects, and she told Kate just that.

“Good to know,” Kate replied, smile still in place. Nothing seemed to disturb her, probably a good thing in her line of work, Chase mused. “If you’d like to start by telling me what happened with your CO, I think that would be an excellent place to start.”

*

After she told her story and honestly answered questions about her reactions and feelings, Chase knew their session was drawing to a close. She had admitted to a few nightmares, but it hadn’t been that long since the incident had happened, and she wasn’t concerned about them. Kate didn’t seem to be, either, but informed her if she needed anything to help her sleep, that wouldn’t be a problem. Chase had declined the offering of medication, but agreed that if the nightmares didn’t stop, she would be back to talk.

“Well, I think that’s about all we have time for today,” Kate finally stated, glancing at the clock. “Was there anything else you’d like to discuss?” she asked, her gaze settling fully on Chase.

Leaning forward, Chase clasped her hands on her blue BDU-clad knees. “Am I allowed to ask what you’re going to tell General Hammond?” she asked, not too concerned about it, but still feeling that nagging insecurity in the back of her head.

Kate smiled and nodded. “I think you’re fine, Chase. In fact, it’s my belief that if you were to be removed from active duty, it would be more detrimental than beneficial. I’m going to tell General Hammond you’re cleared as far as I’m concerned.”

“Thank you,” Chase replied with a smile of her own. 

They both stood, and Kate reached out her hand again. “It was nice meeting you, Chase,” she commented. “Remember, you can come see me if you need anything.”

“I will,” Chase answered, fairly certain that she would.

*

Chase leaned against one of the gray walls of the SGC, arms crossed over her chest, and her eyes glued to the closed door across the hall. Growing impatient, she barely noticed as a small man, Sergeant Walter Harriman if she remembered correctly, bustled past her before she flicked her wrist. It was at least the second time she had checked her watch in the time she’d been standing there, if not the third. She sighed deeply, pursing her lips in annoyance. Pushing off the wall, Chase adjusted positions as she waited for her superior officer to arrive, already fifteen minutes late for their meeting.

She glanced over at the other person helping to hold up the wall as they waited. Being left waiting was one thing, but Chase was taking offense to being left waiting with a man she was beginning to despise. Those cool blue eyes, the haphazard brown hair, and those infuriating glasses that he kept pushing up his nose as he looked at Chase all made her skin crawl with annoyance. She would be glad if she never had to see him again.

As it was, he was trying to make small talk with her, and didn’t seem to get the hint that she didn’t want to talk when she responded only with single word replies or a nod or shake of the head. A couple of eye rolls even went unnoticed by the annoying archeologist. Chase turned toward the sound of approaching heels, willing someone else to walk by to relieve the tension.

What she saw took her breath away and reminded her of that first meeting with Colonel O’Neill at the same time. The sound of the heels was Major Samantha Carter hurrying to make their meeting, clad in full dress blue uniform. One of the many reasons Chase liked her job so much was the informal Battle Dress Uniforms. An attractive woman in the dress blues of the Air Force was always difficult for her, but Sam Carter was one of the more difficult cases. The blonde had attracted Chase’s attention from the first time she had seen her, at that ceremony in Washington, D.C. 

Major Carter rushed to the door, spouting apologies for being late as she unlocked the door and turned on the lights. She ushered Dr. Jackson and Chase inside, following them in and dropping her laptop bag on the desk as she closed the door behind them. Chase allowed her eyes to wander the sparsely decorated office, her attention lingering on the many trinkets littered around the room. It didn’t escape her notice that there wasn’t a single personal item in the room. Even Chase’s tiny cubicle had tiny personal knickknacks and a photo.

Dr. Jackson settled onto one of the stools that lined a smooth, black-topped table, and Chase followed suit. She noticed how the archeologist was also staring at the formally dressed woman, but somehow she sensed it wasn’t in the same manner as she was. His gaze held more curiosity than anything else, and she didn’t have to wait long to have her suspicions about his intentions confirmed.

“What’s with the uniform, Sam?” the man asked as Carter settled into her own stool and was setting up her laptop on the table.

Carter flashed him a smile as she continued to get ready for the meeting. “Just got back,” she answered, reaching into her bag again.

“From where?” Apparently Chase wasn’t the only one who was suddenly insatiably curious.

The blonde major moved her laptop slightly and brought out a notepad, flipping it open. She seemed to be deep in thought as she withdrew a pen from her bag and clicked it, but she answered the archeologist in what seemed like distracted tones, “Cape Canaveral.”

The annoying man seemed as surprised as Chase felt. He smiled slightly and shook his head before, “Um…mind if I ask why?”

Major Carter folded her hands on the table and looked at the person sitting directly across from her – Chase. She shifted uncomfortably under the intense gaze from those blue eyes until she finally let her own brown ones drop to the black table. If she had held the gaze a moment longer she may have seen the older woman smile briefly at her before turning back to Jackson. “Don’t you think we should get started? I’m sure Lieutenant Marks has better things to do than listen to where I’ve been.”

Jackson shrugged. “I guess,” he replied, looking rather like he’d been chastised from his mother.

“I was getting us some help,” the blonde woman supplied before switching her attention back to Chase. “Lieutenant Marks, why don’t you start by telling us from the beginning anything you think we may need to know if we encounter these people who live on the planet.” 

Dr. Jackson looked very pleased with this question as his attention also turned to Chase.

*

Five figures emerged from the stargate, each one with night goggles over their eyes, allowing them to see once the shimmering event horizon disappeared behind them. It had been a few days since they had left the planet, as downtime regulations had required. Jack idly wondered if the so-called rest had done any of them any good as they descended the stone steps and the three men took up positions around the tree line, preparing for any threat. 

In the downtime, they had been introduced to the red-haired woman who now joined his team on this mission. She was another scientist, but he accepted that if Carter needed help, then he was willing to let her have it. He watched as Dr. Arianna Simons reached around, bringing her pack in front of her as she squatted onto the ground, and opened the bag. She removed several objects and began assembling something on the ground, pointing it toward the sky.

As she was doing this, Jack noticed the attentions of a certain archeologist on his team centered around Dr. Simons. He wondered briefly if Daniel knew he was staring, but pushed the thought out of his mind as he remembered how inept Daniel was with women. Nodding toward the younger man, Jack finally managed to attract Daniel’s attention. He motioned that Daniel’s gaze should be on the tree line, not the attractive woman. Daniel blushed slightly in the darkness, but took the hint.

Suddenly there was a rustling sound coming from the trees. Three P90s and a staff weapon trained on the sound and Jack tilted his head back toward the two women in front of the stargate. “How are you two doing back there? Almost ready to go?”

Sam glanced down at the kneeling woman who shrugged. “I suppose. I wouldn't mind having more time, though.”

Jack turned his attention back to the noises, which were getting closer. “Then I suppose we'll get you that time,” he muttered, motioning to Teal'c and Daniel, who both went to stand closer to the women. Sam moved to stand directly in front of Simons, the three of them forming a protective semi-circle around the scientist. 

Finally, three figures stepped into the clearing, two carrying long spears. Every member of SG1 tightened their hold on their weapons, but waited to see how the natives would react before they made a move. The three native men, their sight obviously adjusted to the darkness, looked at each person in turn, ending with Simons before turning their gaze back to Jack.

The one without a spear stepped forward. Jack squinted through the goggles at the man. From what he could see, these men were dressed in short, one-piece garments, probably made from animal skins. They seemed more afraid of SG1 then he would have imagined the bloodthirsty natives Lt. Marks had described.

The man who approached the leader of SG1 was tall and muscular and shaking slightly with fear. He slowly raised his hands in a common sign of surrender. “You are from Earth, are you not?” he asked, his voice quivering slightly.

“Yeah, we're from Earth. I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill. Who’re you?” Jack replied, his weapon still trained on the man.

“Ishmael,” the man replied, dropping his arms. “Where is the one you call Marks?”

“She's not with us,” Jack replied. “And we're not handing her over to you, either.”

Ishmael looked genuinely confused. “Handing her over to us?” he asked.

“Yeah, we won't let you kill her,” the colonel answered, but even as if he said it, he didn't believe they would. They didn't look like people out for blood to him, but he needed to be sure.

“Oh, no!” Ishmael replied, shaking his head back and forth vigorously. “We do not wish to kill her! We need her.”

Thinking about it for a minute, the Jack finally lowered his weapon, motioning for his team to do the same. “What do you mean, you need her? I thought you were upset that she killed your god.”

Ishmael shook his head again. “No, not at all. She killed a god, so she must be one, too. We need her to lead our people.”

Jack stepped back, running a hand over his mouth before turning to look at Daniel, who merely shrugged. Apparently not even the archeologist could see this coming. Jack turned back to Ishmael and shook his head. “I'm sorry, you want her to be your new god?”

“Yes!” the man replied, smiling for the first time. “She left so suddenly, we don't know what to do now. There is much unrest in her absence. Please, as her emissaries, you must tell her we need her here.”

Jack raised his eyebrows the best he could behind the night goggles. “Emissaries?” he asked, ready to correct the man.

Daniel quickly stepped up beside him. “Of course, Ishmael. My name is Daniel and we are most certainly emissaries of the great Chase Marks.” At that remark, Sam coughed and Teal'c had to turn his head. Jack even thought he saw the ghost of a smile on Teal’c’s face.

“Daniel, can I talk to you for a minute?” Jack asked, motioning back toward the rest of their team. 

The archeologist smiled at Ishmael. “We'll be just a minute,” he told the man before joining Jack. “What’s up, Jack?” he whispered.

“Why are you encouraging these people?” Jack quietly demanded of Daniel.

“Because there is a distinct possibility they might try to kill us if we try to tell them Chase isn't a god.”

“Oh,” Jack replied, the thought not occurring to him before. “Good point.” He turned back to the natives and smiled. “Yes, we'll…get your message back to her.”

Ishmael bowed. “Thank you so much.”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He almost added a “you betcha” before he caught himself and sighed, shaking head. This was not the time to be sarcastic. Turning back to the scientist still kneeling on the hard ground, he muttered, “Pack it up, Simons. We're leaving.”

*

Jack had thought it best to prepare the young lieutenant before she reached the briefing room, but they were pressed for time. Luckily, he had caught her in the commissary just finishing up lunch. Before she had a chance to get up, he slid into the seat across from her, the fact that he didn’t have a tray was obviously not lost on the young officer. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair and released her own tray.

She crossed her arms over her chest and seemed to regard him closely. “Do I want to know why your mission was extremely short and you needed to come find me right away?”

Jack leaned over and clasped his hands over the table. “Probably not,” he agreed, knowing that this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation. “But I thought I’d give you the heads-up before…” His words trailed off as he watched Sgt. Harriman approach the table. Sighing himself, he leaned back, willing to wait until the balding man had said what he was sent to say.

It was then that Chase glanced over and they both watched the man approach their table. Usually Walter’s presence meant that General Hammond was summoning someone, and from the look in Chase’s eyes, she could tell Walter was headed for her. That, plus Jack’s own entrance, had most likely tipped the young woman off that something big was up.

“Lt. Marks?” Walter formally addressed her. “General Hammond has asked to see you.”

She nodded at him as she grabbed her tray again. “Thank you, Sergeant. I’ll be right there.” He nodded and left the way he had come in. 

O’Neill stood up and watched as Chase did the same. “I’ll walk with you,” he informed her. It wasn’t a request, and he knew Chase could tell. Hopefully she would be grateful for his advanced warning. He didn’t think she was going to like what she was going to be ordered to do.

She simply nodded at him as she returned her tray and walked out of the commissary, O’Neill by her side. He didn’t wait long before speaking again. “I know you don’t want to go back to the planet,” he said simply.

“Got that right,” she replied softly, not seeming surprised in the least where this conversation was going.

He tried to smile, but he was sure it looked more like a grimace. “But there is some good news,” he said, glancing over at her as they came to a stop beside the elevator.

“Oh, yeah?” she asked, pressing the button, her face stoic as ever, but he was sure there were emotions underneath the surface he couldn’t see.

“The natives…they don’t want to kill you,” he informed her as he stuffed his hands into the blue BDU pants pockets.

She seemed to consider this for a moment as the elevator doors opened, and they both stepped inside. He pressed the button for their floor and the doors slid shut as she said softly, barely loud enough for him to hear, “What’s the catch?” 

He cleared his throat and pretended to be examining the cold steel wall before responding, “They, uh, they think you’re a god.”

“What??” The leader of SG1 actually cringed slightly at her outburst, but Chase didn’t seem to notice as her dark eyes turned on him. “And you didn’t correct them?”

O’Neill shrugged and acted nonchalant as the elevator stopped moving. The doors opened, revealing an empty hallway. They both stepped out and began moving in the direction of the general’s office. “Daniel seemed to think that it was possible they might kill us if we tried to convince them otherwise.”

This appeared to soften her a little. Of course the Marks he knew wouldn’t want anything to happen to SG1. They reached their destination and came to a stop outside the closed door. She sighed and ran a hand over her ponytail, apparently considering what he had just told her. Finally, she raised her head to look him in the eye. “Thanks for telling me,” she conceded, and she seemed truly grateful for the advanced warning. O’Neill assumed that she would rather lose her cool with him than Hammond. She cocked her head towards the door, and she said softly, “I should probably go.”

He nodded and squeezed her arm comfortingly. “Good luck,” he told her before brushing past her, leaving her alone by the office door.

*

Taking a deep breath, Chase raised her hand and knocked on the door. She heard a muffled invitation and opened it, slipping inside before closing it behind her.

General Hammond looked up from his seated position behind the desk. “Lieutenant Marks,” he greeted her. She couldn’t tell from his face what kind of mood he was in, so she remained guarded. He motioned to the chairs before his desk. “Please, sit.”

She nodded and did as she was told. Even in all her special forces training, her time in Asia, and her subsequent posting to the SGC, she had still never become comfortable being one on one with such a high ranking officer. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, she just couldn’t suppress the feeling of being an insolent schoolgirl called to the principal’s office.

The general folded his hands on top of his desk and regarded the young woman closely. She tried to appear as stoic as possible, but with General Hammond’s knowledge of her Special Forces training, she knew she wouldn’t fool him for very long. However, she still tried to remain as cool and emotionless for as long as possible. 

Finally, the general started, “I received the results of your psychological evaluation and have been working to find a replacement for Colonel Braga.” She nodded, having already heard through the grapevine that a new leader for their team had finally been chosen. “However, there is something I need you to do before I make any final decisions about SG4.”

Another nod. “You need me to return to P3X-938,” she stated, her tone void of emotion. No need to broadcast her dislike of the idea. She knew it wouldn’t make a difference in the general’s decision. He had obviously already made up his mind.

“That’s right,” he replied, not seeming at all surprised at her prior knowledge to his request. “Did Colonel O’Neill also inform you of the natives’ expectations of you?”

There was a split second in which from his expression she knew he saw the flash of anger in her dark eyes, but she recovered quickly. Chase did her best to hide the disgust she felt at the orders she could feel coming, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. “Yes, sir, he told me that the natives believe I am a god.” 

“That is correct,” Hammond replied as he picked up a file folder on his desk and handed it to her. She grudgingly leaned forward and accepted it, opening it on her lap. He continued, “Your mission will be to pose as their deity and help them to set up a system of government. Colonel O’Neill and Dr. Jackson will assist you in this. Also, the rest of SG1 and Dr. Arianna Simons will accompany you to study the sky. You will most likely need to inform the people of their scientific mission so that they won’t encounter any resistance. I’m also sending SG3 as contingency backup.”

As she stared down at the open folder in her lap and listened to the words coming from her commanding officer, it was all she could do to remain calm. The idea of enslaving a people who had already suffered the same injustice at the hands of the Goa’uld was nauseating to her, and to have to be the one who carried it out felt even worse. She lifted her eyes to peer into the clear, blue ones of the general.

“Any questions?” he asked, and in that moment, she felt as if he could see right through her. His expression, on the other hand, gave away nothing of how he felt. 

Sighing, she closed the file and nodded. “Just one, sir,” she began, keeping her gaze fixed on his face. “How can we do this?”

“Lieutenant?” he asked, and anger flared up in her. How could he not know exactly what she meant? Was he really that heartless?

She swallowed hard, forcing her anger to the side, knowing she needed to keep a clear head about this if she wanted to keep her job. Insubordination was not usually something for which one received any sort of commendations in the Air Force. “How can we even pretend to be enslaving a race of people? I thought that was what we’re fighting to stop in the universe, people being enslaved by the Goa’ulds.”

He nodded and stapled his fingers on the desk. “I understand your concern, Lieutenant, and it is noted. However, Dr. Jackson is of the opinion, and I happen to agree with him, that if we were to leave this culture to their own devices it is very likely that another Goa’uld will seize the opportunity and enslave them. If, however, they already have a deity and a form of government in place, they would have a reason to resist the Goa’uld.”

Chase had to admit that it did make sense, in a twisted sort of way. Pretend to enslave them so that they wouldn’t actually be enslaved. A sort of preemptive strike, so to speak. Sighing, she reluctantly nodded and handed the folder back to the general. It still didn’t feel exactly right, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it. “When do we leave?” she asked, settling back into the seat.

“First thing in the morning,” Hammond replied, giving her what felt like another piercing stare. “Take the rest of the day off and get some rest, Lieutenant. You’re going to need it.”

*


	3. Chapter 3

It was the hardest thing she could remember doing. Stepping through the stargate was usually a joy for the first lieutenant, but today she was feeling every bit her junior rank. Inexperienced and under-qualified were two adjectives that came to mind to describe herself, despite her many efforts to build her career. As her feet hit the cold stone steps in the dark world, not only did she feel inadequate for such a mission, but she truly had a sense that what they were doing was morally wrong, no matter what that Dr. Jackson or General Hammond said.

She sighed and glanced around at SG1, SG3, and that strange scientist woman they had brought with them, knowing that her eyes would eventually adjust to the darkness. It had been agreed that a god wouldn’t need night goggles to see, and she hadn’t used them on her first trip to this world, but she assumed if she tripped and fell, that would not be good for her godly image. Each step was slow and careful as they descended the steps into the clearing around the gate.

There to greet them were three natives, undoubtedly the same three that had spoken with SG1 on their last trip here. Chase wouldn’t be surprised if they had stayed at the gate until she returned, a thought that made her slightly nauseated. But she pushed the feeling aside and pulled on the best smile she could muster.

All three men bowed low at her approach, a move that made her very sad. Sighing, she shook her head and closed the distance between them, placing her hand on Ishmael’s shoulder. This was the man who had introduced Braga as their god, so she assumed he was the village leader, or as much a leader as they had. His eyes grew wide at her touch, but he remained silent.

“Get up,” she told them, withdrawing her hand. "I don't want anyone bowing to me, understand?”

Ishmael nodded and rose, the others following suit. "Yes, ma'am, I understand. What are you orders? We live to serve.”

She glanced around at the people who had arrived with her, all of SG1, SG3 and that new scientist with red hair whose name she kept forgetting. SG3 had accompanied them at Hammond’s request, more of a precaution than anything else, backup in case they needed it. SG1 didn’t seem very concerned, though, as they calmly watched her interaction with the natives. 

Holding up her hand to Ishmael, she smiled softly and said, "Give me just a moment. I wish to speak with my...” she stalled, glancing over at that annoying man, Dr. Jackson, who gave her a slight pushing gesture, urging her forward. Sighing, she finished the sentence, the word catching her throat before finally touching the air, "Servants.” 

It left a nasty taste in her mouth, which she tried to ignore as she turned and walked back to Colonel O'Neill and his team. Not only did she despise the idea of servants in general, it was hard to get used to the idea that she had to pretend to be in charge of her superior officers. This would be difficult, considering how growing up in a military family had ingrained in her the principle of obeying her superiors. Now, as a measly first lieutenant, she was being told to defy all of that for this one mission. That would take some pretty good acting. It was a good thing she had become accustomed to hiding her emotions so well.

“Sir,” she addressed Colonel O'Neill in a whisper as she stopped in front of him. "What are my orders?”

He smiled a little, the irony of the situation obviously not lost on him. “Well, Marks, I think the first order of business will be for you to see the village. If I were in charge,” he said, coughing lightly, and causing the other members of his team to smile. Oh, yes, Chase got the joke in that one, but she didn't find it very funny. “If I were in charge,” he continued, the smile fading, “I would send my team out to investigate the village, make sure we know what we're up against.” 

Jackson raised an eyebrow and coughed himself, apparently a reminder to Colonel O’Neill, who rolled his eyes and added gruffly, “And Dr. Simons has to check out the sky.” He looked at Jackson. “Did I miss something?” 

The archeologist shook his head. “No, I think you got it.”

“Good,” the colonel replied, turning back to Chase. “Send Carter and Daniel with her. Those scientists love this sort of thing. Teal'c and I will make sure the perimeter of the village is secure.”

Chase swallowed hard. “You really don't want me to go with these people alone, do you? I mean I know Dr. Jackson is confident they won't try to implant me with a Goa'uld, but I need more reassurance than that. After all, the way they did it to Braga was by separating him from the team.”

O’Neill nodded. “Good point, Marks. Carter, go with her and watch her six. We don’t want any surprises.” 

Sam replied with a curt nod. “Understood, sir.”

“Well?” the colonel asked, motioning toward the villagers. 

“Oh,” Chase replied, blushing slightly as she realized she'd left the three native men waiting while she was receiving orders of her own. No, the irony of this situation was definitely not lost on her at all, she thought as she moved back over to the natives. 

“You will take us to the village,” she commanded, surprised at the authority she was hearing coming from her own voice. “You will allow my people free access anywhere they wish.”

Ishmael bowed his head. “Of course, goddess. We have our best room prepared for you. If you would follow us,” he said, motioning for her to follow. She fell into an uneasy pace behind him, sensing the others as they fell in line behind her. She couldn’t wait for this mission to be over already and it had only just begun.

*

Jack gave SG3 their orders and turned back to his team as the Marines marched away into the heart of the village while they remained on the outskirts. SG1, Dr. Simons and Lt. Marks stood with a group of natives at the entrance to what seemed like a grand building, but in the dark, it was hard to tell much of anything about it at all. Especially with the goggles having such a limited field of vision, but that was just something they would have to deal with or abandon them altogether. He hadn’t quite made up his mind about that yet, but Marks seemed to have adjusted to the darkness already, so he was leaning toward taking them off.

The archeologist among them was staring up at the building in wonder. Finally, he tore off the goggles and gaped at the enormity of the structure before turning back to the village. Jack could tell his friend was thinking something about how the village was almost shabby in comparison to this building. It hadn’t failed Jack’s notice that the people lived in little huts with the thatched roofs and mud-caked walls.

“Um, Ishmael?” Daniel spoke up, attracting the man's attention right away. “Did your people build this structure?” he asked, motioning the massive building they were standing beside.

Ishmael smiled and shook his head. “No, we did not. This is where all of our gods used to live.” He bowed his head. “When they lived among us, I mean.”

“So you built your village around it,” Daniel said, understanding dawning on his features.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, everyone staring up at the building where Goa’ulds had once inhabited. Finally Jack broke the silence. “Right then. Daniel, I want you talking to the villagers. Figure out the best place for Dr. Simons to ... do her thing,” he said, admitting he hadn't really been paying attention in the briefing to the all the science parts. They bored him since he really couldn't understand much of it anyway. “Carter, I want you with Marks. Don't let her out of your sight.” She nodded. “Teal'c, you and I will do the perimeter work. SG3 is checking out the village itself, we've got the outskirts.” The big man merely bowed his head in Jack's direction.

Ishmael watched all this with fascination. Finally, he asked Chase softly, “That man, why is he ordering your people?”

Chase smiled, remembering an earlier conversation she and O’Neill had had in case this subject was raised. “He's my right hand man,” she answered, trying very hard not to laugh at the prospect. “Second in command, you know? I prefer if he keeps my people in line.” 

The native man nodded thoughtfully. “That is very smart. Why was he not with you the last time you were here?”

“He was, uh,” the woman coughed self-consciously as she scrambled for a believable lie, “He was busy on another world. I sent him there because I didn't think I would need him here.” She took a deep breath. “But now that I plan on an extended stay here, I ordered him to come as well. His presence will make things much easier for me.”

Ishmael nodded. “That is very wise, goddess,” he said. “Now, if you will come with me, I'll show you to your room.”

She nodded. “My personal attendant will be accompanying us,” she informed him to explain why Major Carter fell into step behind them. The blonde grinned and shook her head in Chase's direction.

“Of course,” Ishmael replied. “Whatever you like.”

They began walking and the woman she had dubbed her “personal attendant” began to walk beside her. Allowing Ishmael to walk a few steps ahead of them, the pair ascended several sets of stairs in silence. Chase was beginning to wonder how far the room was when they began walking down a long, well-lit hall.

It was then that Sam bent over slightly to whisper in her ear, “Personal attendant, huh?”

Chase glanced over in surprise, expecting to see disapproval at the term, but the same grin from earlier was still present. 

The lieutenant blushed, trying in vain to fight the smile that was pushing its way onto her inflamed cheeks. She could sense the major was teasing her, but it didn’t help stop the blush. Besides, if she didn’t know any better, she would have said Sam’s tone was bordering on flirting. She pushed that thought away forcefully and replied in hushed tones, “Well, I had to say something. What would you have had me say?”

The major shook her head. “Oh, no, Lieutenant. Personal attendant is fine.” She glanced back at Chase. “Just don't expect me to dress you or anything.” The grin was full force now, but before Chase could even attempt to formulate an answer in her slightly bewildered mind, they arrived at a set of large double doors.

Ishmael stopped walking. “Here we are,” he said, pushing the doors open with both hands.

*

Sam surveyed the room with a soldier’s eye, her feet taking her first to the open balcony as she glanced over the side in a defensive manner. The burning fires below seemed so small from this height, even though the astrophysicist knew they had to be quite large to ward off the darkness. She turned away from the black sky and back to the large room, once again checking it for any sign of danger. She wandered into what could only be described as a washroom, with a large tub and a crude form of a mirror. It was at times like these she was very grateful for indoor plumbing on Earth.

She came out of the small room to find the lieutenant on the balcony, one of her hands wrapped tightly around the bar that stopped at about her waist. The other hand held a wine glass, out of which she was sipping politely as she listened to the native beside her babble relentlessly. That would probably be most of the young soldier's experience would be for this mission – listening. Sam chuckled and turned away, only to be startled by another native holding out a glass for her to take.

“No, thank you,” Sam replied politely as she waved him away.

Chase must have heard Sam’s voice, because she quickly turned and said with a small smile, “It would be easier if you just accepted it. I don't know if these people know the meaning of the word no.”

Nodding, Sam accepted the drink and took a small sip. The dark liquid was pleasantly sweet, something she hadn't been expecting. “This is actually good,” she told Marks in surprise.

“I know, crazy, huh?” Chase replied with a soft laugh before once again honing her attention on the man beside her. Sighing deeply, Chase grudgingly accepted the flowing white material that the man handed her, watching with a pained expression as he and his colleague bowed to her and left.

“What's wrong?” Sam asked, taking another sip of the wine.

Shrugging, Chase tossed the garment onto the bed and removed her P90, carefully placing the weapon on the wooden bedside table. “I'm just not really a fan of dresses, that's all,” she replied, downing the rest of her liquid in one gulp. “But I guess that doesn't really matter right now, does it?”

Sam shook her head, her throat all of a sudden going dry when she realized Chase was going to undress in front of her. The younger woman's BDU jacket was already on the bed next to the dress and her hands were gripping the hem of her shirt to pull it over her head. Sam swallowed hard and drank some more wine, unable to pull her eyes away.

Brown eyes met blue and Chase cleared her throat. Sam blushed deeply and glanced away, embarrassed at being caught staring. “Do you mind?” Chase asked, gesturing toward the dress.

“Colonel O'Neill told me to keep an eye on you,” Sam replied, not believing the words that came out of her mouth.

Marks' eyebrows rose in apparent surprise, almost disappearing into her hairline. “Uh,” she began, swallowing hard. “Right. Do what you want, I guess.” She turned away, breathing deeply. Obviously Sam’s staring had upset her, but she couldn’t turn her gaze away.

Suddenly Sam was by her side, not exactly sure why. “Let me help,” Sam whispered, tugging at the military issue black tee, her touch feather-light. So much for not helping her dress, Sam thought in confusion as she continued to pull the shirt over the slightly shorter woman’s head.

Chase nodded her acceptance before the shirt was over her head and tossed aside. Her chest rose and fell with each deep breath, something that seemed to draw Sam even closer. Feeling light-headed, Sam’s thoughts screamed at her, asking what she was doing, but she merely shook her head, dismissing them.

Without meaning to do so, Sam leaned in and captured Chase's lips with her own, pulling the slightly shorter woman to her with both arms. Chase returned the kiss fervently, pushing the blonde's P90 away with both hands. Pulling back, Sam detached the weapon from her torso and placed it on the bedside table next to Chase's. Then she unzipped her vest and unbuttoned her jacket, both pooling on the floor beneath them.

Chase reached for Sam's shirt and yanked it over her, tossing it aside. Sam pushed her toward the bed while unclasping the Latina woman's bra and letting the garment fall, forgotten in their rush. Chase mimicked her movements exactly and they fell onto the bed, their hands already trying to rid themselves of their remaining clothes. They got a little hung up on their boots, both woman laughing lightly as they tried to unlace the tight laces quickly before throwing the footwear across the room.

As soon as they were both naked, Sam immediately rolled herself on top of Chase, kissing her deeply as her hands explored soft, quivering flesh. They pulled apart, Sam's lips finding other areas to explore, and Chase whispered breathily, “I don't usually do this.”

Raising up onto her arms, Sam flashed the younger woman a smile and shrugged. “Neither do I,” she replied before leaning down again for another kiss. Her hands found Chase's breasts and finally her fingers zoned in on a nipple, twisting it gently. Chase replied by gasping into Sam's mouth and arching up, her pubic hairs tickling Sam's legs. 

Sam hissed, her gaze glancing down to Chase's arousal and her fingers trailing lower across the dark skin of Chase's belly. “Sam,” Chase gasped when Sam's lips closed around a hard nipple and her fingers flicked across the younger woman's clit.

Sam merely smiled against Chase's breast and continued to massage the tiny nub she had found, each stroke bringing her closer to the edge. Chase's hands found Sam's ass and gripped tightly, bringing her closer. Sam withdrew her hand and let Chase’s nipple slip from between her lips as she trailed a line of kisses up Chase's front, finally ending in a long, deep kiss as their lower bodies met in a slow grind. It became faster and faster until Chase threw her head back and gripped Sam's ass even tighter, crying out. Sam wasn't far behind her, screaming the younger woman's name as their eyes locked and her hands tightened around Chase's shoulders.

Afterwards, they lay in a sweaty heap, breathing heavily and holding each other tightly. Chase turned and ran a slightly shaking hand over Sam's light skin, stroking her breast lightly. “That was ... wow,” she whispered, blushing deeply.

“You can say that again,” Sam replied with a grin as she pulled the smaller woman toward her. She couldn't help but notice the muscular arms and legs that were wrapping themselves around her. Feminine though she was, Chase was definitely fit. Perhaps that was one of the many benefits of sleeping with another soldier, Sam thought idly as her brain became less and less coherent. Chase laid her head on Sam's chest and it wasn't long after that Sam's eyes closed and she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

*

Sam awoke sharply at the sound of someone knocking loudly on the heavy wooden doors that led to what had to be the best room in the structure. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was and then a few more to realize that there was an undressed woman lying in her arms. Glancing down at the familiar, peaceful face of Lt. Marks, Sam gasped in surprise and quickly rolled away from the Latina woman, only to discover she was rolling right off the bed. She found herself in a pile on the hard floor, cursing her lack of judgment at the movement.

“Carter, you all right in there?” the voice of Colonel O'Neill filtered through the doors. That and Sam's fall were enough to wake the still sleeping woman on the bed. 

“What the?” Chase muttered, glancing around her before noticing Sam, who was gathering her clothes as fast as she possibly could. “Oh, God,” Chase groaned, clasping her head in both of her hands as she apparently began to remember what had happened before their little nap.

Sam shot Chase a look that told the younger woman to be quiet before answering their superior's question quickly, “We're fine in here, Colonel. Marks just needs a little more time to change into that dress the natives gave her. We'll be out in a sec.”

“Well, make it snappy!” the disembodied voice replied. “They're saying we all have to go to dinner and I think they mean now.”

“Yes, sir!” both women replied in unison before Sam disappeared into the washroom to get dressed and make herself look presentable. 

*


	4. Chapter 4

The crude excuse for a mirror didn’t do much for Sam as her fingers picked at her mussed hair. Sighing, she reached for the last item of her clothes, the vest, and slipped it on over her jacket, which hung open over her tense body. “What was I thinking?” She asked her reflection silently, trying to work out what had just happened. 

She had slept with another officer on a mission. Granted, part of her was singing right now – it had been a really long time since she’d had sex and longer since it had been that good – but she squashed it almost immediately. Her rational brain told her that she had to do damage control and fast. The wine…

The glass she had set down on the bedside table still had some wine in it. She went over to it and sniffed it, but nothing about the smell indicated that it had been drugged. Still, she couldn’t help the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that their actions hadn’t been of their own deciding. She would have to tell Colonel O’Neill in case the others were in danger, too.

“Something was in the wine, wasn’t it?” a voice from behind her asked, startling Sam slightly. 

Sam nodded as she turned and replied softly, “I think so,” before her voice caught in her throat at the sight of the Latina woman clad in the white dress the natives had given her earlier. It tied behind her neck and the front dipped low, showing off an ample amount of cleavage. Sam swallowed hard and turned her gaze away. “That’s, uh, a nice dress,” she managed to say.

She could hear Chase sigh before responding, “Sorry,” the younger woman murmured. Sam watched out of the corner of her eyes as Chase dropped into a chair and began pulling on one of her boots. Apparently the natives hadn’t bothered to supply footwear to go with the dress.

It was Sam’s turn to shake her head, smiling sadly. “Not your fault,” she replied as she buttoned up her jacket and zipped up the vest. “You know, Chase, if I’m right about the wine being drugged, we’re going to have to tell Colonel O’Neill.”

Chase’s head snapped up in what appeared to be alarm. “What? Why?” she asked, and Sam was sure she could hear the worry in Chase’s tone.

“Because if the natives drugged us, they could drug the others, too. It doesn’t say much for their trustworthiness, does it?” Sam answered.

Chase nodded, then dropped her face into her hands again.

Sam pushed down her own anxiety. She knew the “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule just as well as Chase. Still, she pushed the doubt away, and told Chase in what she hoped was confident tones, “It will be fine. Colonel O’Neill will understand that we weren’t in control at the time.” She crossed the room, squatted down in front of the still seated woman and placed a tentative hand on one of Chase’s knees, which caused the younger woman to look up, into Sam’s eyes. “If we try to cover it up, it will just look bad. Besides…” she added as another thought occurring to her, “We don’t know how long we were out. Who knows what they could have done to us in that time?”

Sam could have sworn she saw a flicker of some emotion cross Chase’s face – fear, or maybe anger – but it disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Chase let out her breath slowly, then responded softly, “Okay.” She moved one of her hands to cover Sam’s and squeezed slightly. “I trust you.”

This confused Sam slightly because aside from their recent encounter, Chase really didn’t know Sam all that well. But she supposed that Chase was used to following orders and the directions of her superior officers, so letting Sam take the lead on this wasn’t a foreign concept to the junior officer. Sam smiled, took a deep breath, and stood.

Sam walked over to the door and opened it, her gaze taking in the small group standing in the hall: Colonel O’Neill, leaning up against the wall with an impatient look on his face; Arianna and Daniel, wrapped up in a private conversation; Teal’c, looking as stoic as ever; and Ishmael, whose face lit up at the sight of the door opening. “Colonel?” Sam asked, “May I speak with you a moment?”

The man she addressed raised an eyebrow and pushed off the wall. “This better be good, Carter,” he stated, following her in the room. “The natives don’t seem to like being kept waiting.” 

Suddenly O’Neill stopped walking and stared openly at the sexily dressed woman on the room. Sam felt a strange, unwelcome surge of jealousy at the sight of her commanding officer looking at Chase the way he was, as if only she were allowed to look at the junior officer like that. Pushing it aside, Sam cleared her throat, causing O’Neill to look over at her.

He had that stupid grin, Sam realized, and it was all she could do not to cut her eyes at him. Of course, there might still be some of the drug coursing through her system, she realized, which would account for her strange emotions. She focused on that instead of the lopsided grin still on O’Neill’s features.

“The natives certainly know how to dress a woman, huh, Carter?” he asked, which only made Sam even more annoyed. Still, she pushed it aside.

“Yes, sir, but that’s not why we called you in here.”

“I thought not, Carter,” O’Neill replied, looking from Sam to Chase and then back again. “So why did you?”

“Well, sir,” Sam began, gesturing to the small amount of wine still in the glass, “We think we’ve been drugged.”

O’Neill’s eyebrow rose again. “Drugged? Why do you think that?”

Sam crossed her arms over her chest and willed herself to continue, “Earlier we found ourselves not in control of our actions…we, uh, became incredibly attracted to one another and ended up…” she swallowed hard again, aware of the fact that Chase had winced at the phrase became incredibly attracted to one, but ignored it as she finished her thought, “Having sex.” She watched his expression change to what looked like surprise, but he didn’t interrupt. “Then we fell asleep, but neither one of us knows for how long,” she finished, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

O’Neill was silent for a few moments that seemed like an eternity to Sam, and she only assumed Chase felt the same way. Sam’s gaze stayed fixed on O’Neill as he seemed to be mulling over this new information; she couldn’t bring herself to look over at Chase. She could only stare at O’Neill, wishing he would say something.

Finally, he did. “Well,” he started, a small smile forming on his features, “I guess we’ll need to get the doc out here.” 

Sam couldn’t tell if he was smiling in reference to the thought of Janet joining them on the planet or the thought of what Sam and Chase had done earlier in that room. Either way, she didn’t think that he was worried. She let out a soft sigh of relief.

“I’m going to go radio command,” O’Neill continued, crossing his arms over his chest. “And then I’m going to have a talk with Ishmael, see if he can explain this.” He huffed, his arms falling to his side. “And he better have a pretty good explanation or we are out of here.” 

Out of the corner of her eye, Sam could have sworn she saw Chase’s face light up at the thought of leaving, but the flash of excitement was gone before she could confirm it. Ignoring it, Sam addressed her commanding officer instead, “What do you want us to do?”

His eyes narrowed in her direction, as if he was considering her question. “Stay here,” he finally answered, that same damn smile crossing his features again. “And try to keep your hands off each other,” he added, the smile turning into what appeared to be a smirk. 

She smiled back at him and nodded. So he wanted to make a joke out of it? Fine, she thought, as long as no one lost their job or was reprimanded, making fun of their experience was fine by her. “Yes, sir,” both she and Chase said before O’Neill left the room.

Sam finally turned to Chase and shrugged. “So I guess we wait.”

*

Chase had left the room, opting for the somewhat privacy of the balcony almost as soon as Colonel O’Neill had left. Her head was spinning and her emotions were too volatile to be around Sam. Somehow that woman could read her…even before they had ended up in bed together, so Chase did the only thing she thought she could: run. Get away from the situation, gather her thoughts, and pray that Sam would give her the time she needed.

Gazing out at the blazing fires that villagers maintained for light and warmth, Chase searched herself, trying to decide exactly how she felt about what had happened. As the soldier she had worked so very hard to become, with an immaculate, some would even say glowing, record, she was horrified that she had broken protocol on a mission. Yes, she knew there were circumstances, and she assumed the backlash would be minor, considering they didn’t know the wine was drugged, but still…

She sighed, closed her eyes and leaned forward against the railing, feeling it push into her abdomen. A slight breeze began to blow, caressing her face gently before it left her. She breathed deeply and let it out slowly. Okay, so the other thing to consider was that she had wanted to sleep with Sam for a while. Her eyes flashed open at the thought, pushing it away. Technically, yes, but it struck her as shallow and narrow-minded, especially for her. She had wanted to date Sam, which would have hopefully led to sex, but she hadn’t wanted to jump into bed with her the first chance she got.

Willing herself to calm down, she reasoned that there was nothing she could do about that aspect of it now. The only way to move forward was to talk to Sam, see how Sam wanted to proceed. The other option was to ignore it and let things become awkward between them. That wasn’t something she wanted. 

She became aware of movement behind her and turned to see Sam walking out onto the balcony. “Is this a private party or may I join you?” Sam asked quietly with a small smile.

Chase smiled a little and waved a hand to the railing next to her. “By all means,” she replied, watching as Sam moved to stand beside her. Chase couldn’t help but notice that Sam left some space between them, a few inches at most, enough to be friendly, but not close enough to be intimate. Probably wise, Chase thought before her gaze returned to the fires below.

“You okay?” Sam asked after a few moments of silence.

Shrugging, Chase replied, doing her best to keep the sarcasm out of her tone, “I’ll live.”

This caused Sam to smile and laugh just a little. Chase couldn’t tell if Sam was laughing at the situation, Chase’s response, or something else. “I never thought you wouldn’t,” she replied, shaking her head. “I was just wondering if…” she trailed off, as if searching for the right words to say. 

Chase couldn’t blame her. The situation was confusing as hell to Chase, and she wouldn’t be surprised if Sam felt the same way. “If I was still able to do my job?” Chase asked. She cringed when she heard her tone, somewhat bitter or even angry. That wasn’t how she meant it.

“No,” Sam replied, turning to look at Chase. Her blue eyes were cloudy, maybe confused or even a little hurt. “I have no doubt you can still do the job.” She fell silent for a moment, her gaze completely on Chase’s face, almost as if she was searching for something, a hint of emotion, perhaps? Chase didn’t know. She swallowed hard and looked away. “Are you worried that you can’t do the job?” Sam finally asked.

“No,” Chase replied. “The job isn’t what I’m worried about.”

Sam folded her arms over her chest. “Then is it me?”

Sighing, Chase turned to face the room, leaning her back against the railing as she considered Sam’s question. She mulled it over in her head as she desperately searched for an answer that would be truthful, but not embarrassing or difficult. Chase finally decided she didn’t know what the answer was. “I don’t know how to answer that,” she stated, glancing down at her unusual clothes. “Honestly, I don’t know what to think right now about you.”

She saw Sam nod out of the corner of her eye. “I can understand that,” Sam answered, leaning against the railing in the same way Chase was. “And for all we know, the drug could still be in our system. We really can’t trust our thoughts and feelings right now.”

“This isn’t just about right now,” Chase replied, immediately wishing that she had just kept her mouth shut.

That seemed to have caught Sam’s attention. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” Chase muttered in reply as she looked away. 

“Chase,” Sam said and Chase could feel her move a little closer, but Chase wouldn’t turn. She felt Sam’s hand on her shoulder, and she stiffened a little. Then she heard Sam sigh and remove her hand. “I know we don’t know each other that well, but I wish…” Sam trailed off.

After a moment or two, Chase turned to look at her, meeting her gaze before glancing down again. “You wish what?”

“I wish we did,” Sam replied softly. “I wish I knew what was bothering you so much. Is it that you’re still afraid for your job?”

Chase shook her head. “Not really, no,” she answered truthfully before glancing up, once again meeting Sam’s gaze. Part of her ached to be completely honest with this woman, to bare her soul, consequences be damned. The other part was petrified of rejection, so she stayed silent.

“I wish you’d tell me,” Sam said simply, turning back to the village, breaking their intense eye contact. Maybe, Chase thought, maybe Sam thought it would be easier for Chase to say something if Sam wasn’t looking. Chase had to admit that it might actually work.

Chase drew in a shaky breath. “It’s just that…” she started, trying to decide how and what to say. Oh, just come out with it, her brain told her. Take a risk. “I’m almost glad that it happened.” Oh, dear God, did that just come out of her mouth? Sam turned to look at her, but before she could say anything, Chase rushed on, “I mean, not the way it happened or that it happened on a mission, but…”

“You’re saying that under different circumstances, you would have wanted it to happen,” Sam finished for her.

Chase considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah.”

Sam smiled a little and nodded, glancing away as she replied, “Nothing wrong with that.” Chase could have also sworn that she saw a slight coloring to Sam’s cheeks that wasn’t there before, but in the darkness it was hard to tell. Sam Carter, blushing? Chase had to be seeing things. Or was she?

“What about you?” Chase asked, pressing her luck a bit further. “I mean, under different circumstances…would you?”

Shrugging, Sam replied, still looking out to the village, “That depends.” Still smiling, she finally turned to look at Chase. “I would like to date you first. I’m not really a casual sex kind of person.”

Chase could feel her cheeks beginning to burn. “I’m not…” she began, thinking that Sam must have been thinking that Chase was only interested in sex. Then something hit her about what Sam had just said. “Wait, did you say you want to date me?”

Sam shrugged, smiling again and Chase thought she saw blue eyes sparkle in amusement. “Hypothetically, right?” Sam asked, but between the grin and the sparkle, Chase sensed that Sam was now teasing her.

What the hell? Chase thought, smiling a little and scooting a little closer. She’d come this far. “What about not hypothetically?”

One of Sam’s eyebrows lifted. Chase wondered what that meant, maybe surprise or even skepticism. Whatever it was, she would wait to see if Sam responded verbally to the question. She didn’t have to wait very long. “Why, Chase Marks, are you asking me out on a date?”

Not knowing why, Chase broke into a grin and glanced down again, away from Sam’s blue eyes and what seemed to be teasing smile. Well, if she is teasing me, she’s not upset, Chase’s mind reasoned. Maybe even…enjoying herself? Flirting? Chase’s head spun with the possibilities. Just answer her, damn it. “Yes,” she replied resolutely, before her fluttering heart or jangled nerves could stop her. She raised her eyes to meet Sam’s once more. “After the mission is over, do you, maybe, want to have dinner with me?”

The silence was heavy in the air between them and seemed to go on for eternity as far as Chase was concerned. Finally, Sam nodded and looked away. “Sure,” she said. “Why not?” she added, flashing Chase a brilliant smile. Chase, in turn, felt as if her heart was about to explode with happiness, and had the sudden urge to kiss Sam. It was all she could do to resist that urge and merely grin back.

*

After a few minutes of silence following their conversation, both women still smiling and looking out to the village, Sam had to leave the balcony. She needed time to think, away from Chase, as close to alone as she could be when they were being forced to share the space of the room, the small washroom, and balcony. She needed perspective.

The turn of the conversation had surprised her, especially after she had warned them both that they could still be under the influence of whatever alien drug that had laced the wine. But she had not stopped what had almost seemed the natural progression of the conversation. If anything, she had encouraged it with teasing, flirting, and she had agreed to a date with Chase.

Running a shaky hand through her short, blonde locks, Sam took a deep breath and sank into a chair, trying to decide how she felt about what had just happened. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t wanted Chase to ask and even if she said she didn’t want to see where this new attraction led. Still, she hadn’t meant to make any decisions when it was still possible she wasn’t thinking clearly.

What could it hurt? She asked herself, glancing back at the open balcony. Chase was turned away from her, still looking at the village, and Sam’s gaze lingered a little longer than necessary before she finally pulled away, glancing at the floor. One date wouldn’t hurt her, even if the catalyst had been the drugged wine. If she and Chase had a horrible time, they could agree just to be friends. Sam couldn’t see the harm in one dinner. 

Hadn’t she and Arianna just been talking about taking risks? Although Sam doubted that this was what her former crush turned rival turned friend had in mind, Sam thought Arianna did have a point about Sam needing to take more risks in her life or end up alone and bitter. That settled it, Sam thought, smiling a little to herself. She drew herself up and glanced back at the woman still on the balcony. Chase had just turned around, and their eyes met. Chase smiled before turning away, but not before Sam thought she saw the shadow of a blush on the younger woman’s cheeks.

Sam chuckled a little to herself. She thought that she had at least a basic working idea of what Chase would be like. Typical soldier, although brilliant and great with languages. Also, Chase was like Sam in the fact that Chase was a woman trying to make it in a man’s world, trying to prove her worth in the military. Sam had been expecting to find a comrade, perhaps even a friend in the reserved Latina, but despite the fact that Sam had found Chase attractive, she never imagined their interactions would take a romantic turn. Surprising herself further, it was a turn that she appeared to be welcoming.

It was at that moment that there was another knock on the door and, not waiting for an answer, Colonel O’Neill opened it. His head appeared around the wooden surface, and he looked around the room, stopping when he saw Sam. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” he asked with a grin, stepping fully inside.

Shaking her head and resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Sam stood up. “No, sir,” she replied, fixing him with an expression that told him just how not funny she thought his joking was.

“You’d better stop making comments like that, Jack,” Sam heard a familiar voice from behind her CO and fought back a laugh. Dr. Janet Fraiser pushed her way past O’Neill, making her way over to the bed where she began to lay out her medical supplies. 

O’Neill noticeably swallowed, his grin fading into the recesses of his face, and Sam thought he looked properly rebuked. She flashed an appreciative grin at her friend the chief medical officer just as she noticed Chase coming in off the balcony to join them. It was impossible not to notice her in that damn dress.

Sam could tell that Janet noticed the unusual choice of clothing by the expression on her face, but the doctor chose not to mention it. “Hello, Chase,” Janet said, smiling as she snapped on her gloves. Sam was slightly surprised at the informality; she hadn’t been aware Chase and Janet were friends.

“Hello, Janet,” Chase replied with a smile of her own. “I’d say it’s good to see you, but…” she trailed off, motioning around them.

Janet nodded as her smile faded. “The circumstances are less than ideal,” she finished for the Latina woman. She turned to Sam. “Which of you wants to go first?” 

Sam shrugged. “I can, I guess,” she replied, moving to sit on the bed.

*

While Janet poked, prodded, and drew blood from Sam, Chase moved to stand by O’Neill. Since the doctor had reprimanded him, Chase could have sworn the senior officer of SG1 was sulking as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. Chase bit back an amused grin at the sight as she leaned next to him.

“Did you talk to Ishmael?” she asked him as she watched Janet and Sam.

Chase saw O’Neill nod out of the corner of her eye. “Yeah. Apparently, drugging their gods is common practice around here.”

That was enough to tear Chase’s attention from the two women before them and turn to O’Neill in shock. “What?”

He shrugged. “He said the Goa’uld ask for it when they visit. As far as he knew, that was standard protocol.”

“Did you inform him that I’m not interested in being drugged?” Chase asked, groaning and letting her head fall back against the wall. As if this mission wasn’t bad enough to begin with, now she had to contend with the natives’ strange customs with Goa’ulds. She knew this was a bad idea from the start.

O’Neill nodded again. “I told him that anything he wants to give you from now on has to be cleared through me.”

Chase let out a sigh of relief. “Please tell me he agreed to that.”

“Oh, he agreed,” O’Neill replied. “Otherwise we wouldn’t still be here.”

She nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

“No problem, Marks.”

*

Janet had her gloved hands kneading the back of Sam’s neck, checking for any scars or tears in the skin. Sam’s gaze seemed to be glued to the wall behind Janet, on a certain person if Janet guessed correctly. Smiling a little, Janet removed her hands and reached for the small flashlight on the bed.

“So,” Janet said, watching as Sam immediately opened her mouth at the sight of the light in Janet’s hand. “You and Chase, huh?”

She had Sam’s attention now, not failing to notice the blue eyes immediately switching from the wall to Janet’s face. If only Janet could read them, she thought before she turned her attention to search for any sign of a tear at the back of Sam’s throat. Seeing nothing, she turned off the light and moved to prepare the syringe to take Sam’s blood.

“Who told you?” Sam whispered, her gaze back on the wall, but now Janet thought she was watching Jack.

Janet chuckled to herself as she moved back to her friend. “Well, Jack told me about what happened with the wine…but something tells me that’s not what you’re talking about,” she answered as she watched Sam take off her jacket and roll up her sleeve.

“Oh,” Sam replied as Janet prepared Sam’s arm and reached for the syringe. “That.” Sam cleared her throat and held out her arm. Janet shook her head and stuck her friend, drawing out the blood. Like the good solider Janet knew Sam to be, the woman didn’t even flinch.

“Yes, that,” Janet replied, removing the needle and pushing Sam’s arm up. “The reason I’m here.” She studied Sam’s face closely as she put away the sample. “You okay?”

She watched as Sam’s expression changed slightly, looking to Janet as if she was considering the question. Finally, she shrugged. “I think I am,” she answered and Janet could have sworn she saw the brief flash of a smile.

Janet patted her friend’s knee and smiled. “You can get up now,” she said, watching as Sam hopped from the bed and pulled her jacket back on. “And I’m happy for you,” Janet murmured, her eyes on Sam’s face. “Chase is a wonderful person.”

“Yeah, how do you and she know each other?” Sam asked.

Janet smiled, thinking about how Chase had entered her life. She shook her head at the question, though, and waved to Chase. “Your turn,” she said, before turning back to Sam. “I think maybe you should ask her,” she replied to the question before beginning with Chase. Sam apparently got the message because she went to go stand with Jack without another word.

*

Sam had thought she would get the chance to talk to Chase again after O’Neill and Janet left, but when Janet left with blood and wine samples in tow, O’Neill had ordered them all to a late dinner. Apparently their “hosts” were more than willing to cook no matter what the hour and since Ishmael had insisted there would be no more drugging of any kind, they had no reason to refuse. Sam would have been fine with MREs, but it wasn’t her call.

Arianna pulled her aside almost as soon as she left the room, and she told O’Neill she was fine. Then she watched as he, Chase, Daniel, Teal’c, and SG3 followed Ishmael down the hall. She turned to the woman who had made a sudden reappearance in her life.

“What’s going on, Arianna?” she asked, motioning in the direction where the others had disappeared. “This couldn’t have waited?”

“No,” Arianna replied, shaking her head. “I’m kind of creeped out here, Sam. What’s going on? Why were you in there so long?”

Sighing, Sam folded her arms over her chest and studied her friend’s expression closely. She debated whether to tell Arianna what had happened or keep her out of it. Finally, she decided it would probably be better to be honest. “Well,” she started, glancing again in the direction where the others had disappeared before returning her attention to Arianna. “Chase and I were drugged.”

Arianna’s eyebrows rose. “Chase? Drugged?” she asked, seemingly confused.

“Oh,” Sam replied, sighing and dropping her arms to her side in one movement. “Lt. Marks and I were given some wine that was laced with something.”

If it was possible, Arianna’s eyebrows rose even higher and her eyes widened. “Oh, my god. Are you okay?”

Nodding, Sam leaned against the wall and stuffed her hands into her pockets. “I’m fine. Colonel O’Neill spoke with Ishmael about it. Apparently, it’s common practice to give the ‘gods’ drugs around here.” She shrugged. “They won’t do it again. You’re safe.”

Arianna nodded and Sam pushed off the wall, starting off down the hall, hoping to find the dining room without too much trouble. Arianna fell into step beside her, quietly at first. Then, what seemed like out of nowhere, Arianna asked softly, “What happened?”

Sam glanced over in surprise. “What happened when?”

“In the room.”

Sighing again, Sam stopped and turned to face her friend. She was silent for a moment before shrugging and answering softly, “We…had sex.”

Green eyes widened with what Sam assumed was surprise or shock. “But…you could lose your job!” Arianna hissed, sounding horrified.

Sam rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No, Colonel O’Neill knows we didn’t do it of our volition…we’ll be fine.” She smiled and squeezed Arianna’s shoulder. “But thanks for caring.” She started walking again.

“Wait, wait. That’s it?” Arianna asked, and Sam could hear her rushing to catch up.

“That’s it,” Sam replied. “What more did you expect?”

“Well, did you and Marks talk?” Arianna whispered, apparently lowing her voice because they were approaching what appeared to be the dining room. Sam could hear familiar voices from the other side of the double doors.

She sighed again and turned to Arianna. “Yes, we did. Like I said, we’re fine. You, of all people, should be happy for me.”

Arianna’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m supposed to be happy that you had sex, even though I know it wasn’t under circumstances you would have wanted?”

Sam shrugged and could feel the corners of her mouth tugging upwards. “Well, you told me to start taking risks, so when Chase asked me on a date, I said yes.”

“You did what?” Arianna asked, quite loudly.

It was Sam’s turn to widen her eyes and act surprised. “Keep it down,” she hissed. “Do you want everyone to know? Then I really could lose my job.”

“Then why take that risk?” 

Sam threw her hands up in the air. “I thought we covered that already!”

Just then, the doors opened and a very amused looking O’Neill stood on the other side. “Planning on joining us ladies or do you need a room of your own?”

Sam shook her head. “No. We’re done, sir,” she replied, moving past him into the room, taking a seat next to Teal’c at the table. Arianna huffed, but followed suit, taking the seat next to Sam.

*

At the end of the long night, although there were no suns to call it day, Chase and Sam entered the room in which earlier they had shared a bed. Chase shut the door and leaned against it, watching as Sam once again inspected the washroom and the balcony, just to make sure everything was safe. Her exhausted body resting against the cool wood, her thoughts drifted to what was accomplished at the group dinner.

In Chase’s mind, the most important question was settled: Sam would stay with her during what would be her resting hours and Colonel O’Neill would be with her during the “day”, or the productive hours. He would help her with her dealings with the villagers, Ishmael in particular. Chase was just glad she wouldn’t be left alone, even though the scare of being implanted with a Goa’uld past. She still needed to pretend to be a god, no easy feat.

Groaning, Chase pushed away from the door and gathered up her uniform. She quickly and discretely changed into her pants and black tee. Then she collapsed onto her back across the bed, and barely noticed Sam until the woman was gazing down at her with what looked like an amused smile on her face.

“Long day?” Sam asked.

Chase laughed and ran her hands over her face. She rolled over and watched as Sam grabbed the hard-backed chair, moved it to the balcony and sat down. “It was long, but not my longest. Although, not knowing when day ends and night begins could be a problem.”

Sam nodded. “I can see that.”

“Are you going to be okay staying up?” Chase asked, already feeling the fatigue fighting to take over, fighting to put her to sleep.

Another nod. “I’ll be fine. Colonel O’Neill will relieve me in six hours. I’ll probably get more sleep than you; I just have to wait a little longer.” 

Smiling, Chase nodded and allowed her eyes to close. She heard Sam move, felt a blanket drape over her, and then she knew no more.

*


	5. Chapter 5

Chase opened her eyes and blinked a few times, allowing herself to adjust to the dim light of the room. It took a few moments to remember where she was and why it was so unfamiliar to her. As she lay still for a few moments, she allowed the memories to come rushing back: the mission, what she and Sam had done on this very bed, their talk, the dinner, all of it. Her gaze settled on the silent form of the woman seated by the open balcony. 

“Sam?” she croaked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. The woman she addressed turned her attentions away from the outside world and settled them on the awakening person in the room.

“I’m here,” Sam whispered, watching Chase closely. “You don’t have to get up yet. You can still sleep if you want,” Sam told her gently as she stood and made her way over to the bed. 

Chase waved her off, glancing around the room in the firelight as Sam sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’m fine. I usually don’t sleep for very long anyway. How long was I out?”

The blonde shrugged. “A few hours maybe. You still look tired. Maybe you should try to get some more sleep,” she said, pushing some stray hairs away from Chase’s face and tucking them behind her ear.

“Uh, no, really, it’s okay,” Chase managed to get out, swallowing hard as she stared up at the face she had been admiring for so long. She could feel Sam’s hand on her arm now, rubbing comfortingly up and down. Her brown eyes glanced toward the movement, wondering if the older woman knew what she was doing was keeping her more awake than lulling her back to sleep.

She turned back to see Sam smiling down at her and her hand left Chase’s arm to caress her face. Chase swallowed again and cleared her throat, unsure of what to do or say as the sensations threatened to overtake her. Before she could decide how to react, Sam leaned down and covered her mouth with her own. All thoughts of stopping the other woman ceased immediately and Chase allowed herself to become lost in the kiss.

“So this is what you do with power,” a raspy voice intoned from beside the bed. 

Sam’s hands found her P90 faster than Chase thought possible as the she reached for her own in the same second. All thoughts of bliss instantly disappeared as they whipped toward the owner of the voice, a Goa’uld infected Colonel Braga, his eyes flashing once in the darkness of the room. Chase’s breath caught in her throat as she stared at the man with disbelief.

“What the hell? You’re dead,” she managed to spit out once she convinced herself to breathe again.

He smiled a cold, self-satisfying smile as he shook his head. “You can’t kill a god,” he intoned before he held up a hand in which sat a red device connected to gold covered fingers. “Bow before your god,” he commanded, his mind activating the ribbon device on Sam’s forehead, causing her to crumple onto the bed.

“No!” Chase yelled, her fingers squeezing on the trigger of her gun. Nothing happened. She heard the hollow laugh of the god-man and could feel the anger in her beginning to rise. “Leave her alone!” she commanded before raising her P90 and smacking him across the face with the butt of it.

*

Sam’s eyes flickered to her watch, gazing at it until the backlight switched itself off. She looked at the bed again, wishing for about the millionth time that she could just slip into it, take the sleeping woman in her arms, and sleep as peacefully as they had that afternoon. Clearing her throat, she adjusted the strap of the P90 and looked back out the balcony to the starless night. She knew Arianna and Daniel were out there somewhere, trying to figure out what had happened to not only the night sky, but the two suns and blue skies of day as well. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair and ran unsteady fingers through her hair. 

Suddenly she heard a noise from behind her. She quickly turned, all senses on alert, and her fingers lightly resting near the trigger. Listening attentively, she heard it again and relaxed. It was Chase making noises in her sleep. She smiled a little to herself before shaking her head. “Damn it, Sam, a little jumpy, are we?” she whispered to herself out loud.

It was then she heard an actual word come from Chase’s lips, and she froze. “No,” Chase said clearly, twitching slightly in her sleep. “Leave her alone,” she added just as clearly, flipping herself onto her back and letting out what sounded like a painful cry.

Sam was by the woman’s side instantly, shaking her gently, trying to wake her up. “Chase,” she murmured in comforting tones, “Chase, wake up, you’re dreaming.” She shook the younger woman again, this time being rewarded with alert brown eyes staring up at her. 

“Sam,” Chase breathed the word almost reverently, causing Sam's hold on her to relax significantly. Without warning, the Latina woman leaned up, grabbed her and hugged her tightly. Sam patted the woman on the back, unsure of how to react to such a show of affection. Eventually Chase released her grip and settled back onto the pillows, allowing Sam to shift away from the woman while still sitting on the bed.

Patting the still reclining woman’s leg lightly, Sam told her, “You were having quite the nightmare. Wanna talk about it?”

The lieutenant eased herself up onto the headboard and pulled her knees up to her chest, obviously feeling exposed in the moment. She regarded Sam closely before sighing and glancing away. “It was Braga.”

Sam nodded in understanding. “Makes sense,” she murmured. Blue eyes caught brown ones in an intense gaze before Chase looked away. Sam sighed and pressed further, “You said something about ‘don’t hurt her’ while you were still asleep. What did you mean?”

If the room was better lit she may have seen Chase’s cheeks darkening at the question before she hid her face in her knees. Her grip on her legs tightened as she appeared to debate how to answer the question before she finally settled on the truth. “It was you. I was telling him not to hurt you.”

“Me?” Sam repeated, glancing down at the gun still strapped to her chest. She decided to unfasten it and place it on the bedside table next to Chase’s. Then she scooted more fully onto the bed, folding her legs under her as she sat across from the now nodding woman.

“Yeah, in my dream he was here, now. He was killing you with that damn ribbon device,” Chase explained in soft tones, her gaze seeming to be on the flickering fire and not on Sam’s face.

Sam nodded. “I see,” she whispered. Taking a chance, she leaned over and touched the top of Chase’s knee, causing the younger woman to look back at her. “You don’t have to be ashamed of your dreams, Chase. We can’t control them.” Her only response was a shrug of the younger woman’s shoulders, but she held the gaze steadily. 

After a few moments of silence, Chase finally released her legs, allowing them to lengthen along one side of Sam. She took a deep breath and said with a small smile, “Do you have any MREs? I’m a little hungry.”

Laughing lightly, Sam nodded. “Yeah, I noticed you didn’t eat too much at dinner,” she commented as she stood and went for her pack.

“I was still afraid that they might have drugged that, too!” Chase remarked, rubbing her stomach. She accepted the bag that Sam handed her and Sam once again folded her lanky body onto the mattress facing her.

“May I ask you something?” Sam asked, thinking about what Janet had said earlier. 

Chase shrugged. “Sure,” she replied around chewing.

“I’ve known who you are for a while. I mean, there aren’t that many women who work at the SGC.” Chase inclined her head, probably in agreement. “When I found out we were going to be working together, I pulled your file,” Sam remarked, noticing how Chase’s eyes flickered to her face as she said it. If Sam to had guess, she would have said that Chase looked a little surprised, but not too much so. She pressed on, “There’s not much there, except your expertise, and every now and again where you were stationed. Special Forces are a secretive bunch, aren’t they?”

This elicited a smile from the other woman on the bed as she nodded and swallowed the food she was chewing. “You could say that,” she responded before biting off another piece of the MRE. 

Sam opened a bag of M&Ms and popped one into her mouth, chewing it thoughtfully as she considered how to continue. She continued slowly, “Well, I’ve been wanting to get to know you for a while.” 

Chase’s eyes narrowed on Sam’s face and a different interpretation of what she had just said dawned on Sam. She shook her head. “Not in the way that we got to know each other before,” she added, a slight blush touching her cheeks. “Not that I’m complaining…” she mumbled before adding more little candies to her mouth, wondering why she was going on like this. It wasn’t like her to ramble.

“Where’s the question?” Chase asked, obviously not seeing the point. Sam was beginning to wonder if she did, either.

Smiling, Sam shook her head and finally just asked, “How do you know Janet? I mean, you seemed really familiar with her earlier. I asked her, but she told me to ask you.”

Chase nodded. “Our daughters are good friends.”

That took a minute to sink in for Sam. She had about a million questions, but finally settled on one. “You’re Tracy’s mother?”

Another nod from Chase, but then she seemed to reconsider. “Well, yes and no,” she answered, wiping her hands on her pants and reaching for some water. “I was with her mother for five years. I’m the closest thing Tracy’s had to another parent, and I want to remain in that role.”

“Even though you and her mother aren’t together anymore?” Sam asked, trying to remember if she had ever met Tracy’s mother. She didn’t think so, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t met in passing. She also tried to picture Chase with another woman and couldn’t quite manage it. Maybe that was a sign, she reasoned before pushing the thought away.

“Yeah, Chloe and I didn’t work. I really think the only reason we were together for so long was because of Tracy,” Chase replied, taking a deep breath and fixing Sam with what Sam thought was a very intense gaze. After a few moments, she spoke again. “I’m not going to lie to you, Sam. Chloe’s a little…well, I tend to think of her as crazy, but there’s probably a more politically correct term or something.”

This threw Sam a little bit, but she nodded anyway, trying to think of what was appropriate to say. “Mentally unstable, maybe?” she supplied, watching Chase closely.

“Maybe,” Chase replied, seeming a little annoyed before she went on, “She followed me to Colorado Springs after I told her I needed some distance. Bought a house and everything.”

Sam let out a soft whistle, glancing over at the fire as she considered what Chase had just said. Chloe did sound as if she might be a little mentally unstable, but it could be she was just very attached and was hoping for another chance with Chase. Still, if she was willing to uproot her life and her child’s life, what wouldn’t she do? Sam looked back at Chase, right into Chase’s clear brown eyes. Chase seemed to be watching Sam, to see what her response would be. Could this could be a reason for Sam not to date Chase? Sam asked herself. When Chase had asked Sam to dinner earlier, Sam’s response had been “Why not?” It could be that Chase was supplying Sam with a reason why they shouldn’t date. It could also be that Chase was being straightforward and honest, something Sam appreciated, so that Sam could make an educated decision.

After a short silence, Sam couldn’t tell how long she had been thinking about what Chase had told her, Sam finally spoke. “I think there’s more to the story, and it’s okay if you’re not ready to tell me,” she said, knowing there is always more to a relationship than it seems. She watched Chase closely for a reaction. There was only a small smile and a nod. “But,” Sam went on, “If you think your crazy ex is going to scare me away, I think you’ll be disappointed.” 

The smile was bigger now as Chase shook her head and chuckled a little. “No,” she replied, and Sam smiled back as she felt Chase’s hand drop onto her leg, staying there. “I was a little worried you might decide I wasn’t worth the risk, but I never thought you’d be scared away.”

Sam shook her head, feeling the heat from Chase’s hand on her leg, but ignoring it the best she could. “I think you need to have more self-confidence, Chase,” she told the younger woman, grinning across the bed at her. “You might be surprised how many people are drawn to you if you stop doubting yourself.”

“Hmm…” Chase replied, bringing a hand up to her face and tapping her mouth with her index finger. “Do you want to know what I think?”

Sam nodded. “Sure,” she replied, watching as Chase stared back at her.

“Well,” Chase started, moving forward a bit, closer to Sam. “I think that I have found you fascinating from the first moment I saw you.”

Sam was sure she blushed a deep shade of red. Part of her wondered if Chase was changing the subject deliberately so that the focus wasn’t on her. Sam looked away, still a little self-conscious, as she asked, “First day at the SGC?”

Chase shook her head. “No, before that. At some ceremony in Washington,” she replied, and Sam couldn’t help but be a little surprised by the revelation. She turned back to look at Chase as the younger woman continued, “I met Colonel O’Neill that day, but not you. Just…um…” she swallowed and looked away, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, apparently a little nervous herself. She kept going, though. “…admired you from afar?” she finished in a whisper, turning to meet Sam’s gaze. Sam couldn’t find any words to say. Chase added softly, turning away, “And I probably should have kept my mouth shut.”

“No,” Sam instantly responded, playing with the M&Ms bag nervously before her eyes captured Chase’s once more. “I want to hear it, I just…I’m not used to it, that’s all.”

“Really?” Chase asked. “You’d think that more people would, you know, complement you.”

Sam laughed lightly and glanced back down at the bed. “Ah, no, I think most people find a strong, independent woman a little intimidating.”

The dark haired woman seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding her head slowly in what Sam assumed was agreement. “I can see that,” she conceded, her hand finding Sam’s again and squeezing lightly. She smiled softly and added in soft tones, “I’m not running.”

The blonde smiled and looked down at their intertwined hands. “That coming from an intimidating, strong woman herself,” she whispered and squeezed Chase’s hand back.

“So maybe we’re perfect for each other,” Chase replied with a shrug.

“Maybe we are,” Sam whispered, pushing some hair out of her face and looking away. “If we weren’t on a mission, I’d kiss you right now,” she admitted softly, and she could feel her face turning bright red with her blatant honesty. But it was fair, considering how much Chase had shared.

Chase nodded and leaned back, releasing Sam’s hand as she moved her hands behind her head comfortably. A small grin seemed to work its way onto her face as Sam felt herself shake with silent laughs at the picture. Then Sam tossed an M&M candy at Chase, who was looking really smug to Sam. “What?” Chase asked, and Sam noticed that she was feeling completely comfortable with this woman all of a sudden. It had been a long time she’d felt this comfortable with someone. The feeling was definitely one she wanted to hold onto for a while, she decided.

“You do not get to look that satisfied,” Sam told her, shaking a finger in her direction. “If Colonel O’Neill sees you like that, our secret is blown. And as much as I think he’d look the other way if we decided to start a relationship, I don’t want to press it right now.

It looked as if Chase immediately sobered, Chase dropping her arms, sucked in a deep breath and looked away, toward the door. It was probably because she knew Colonel O’Neill would be knocking on it soon to relieve Sam for the day shift. 

There was a knock on the door at that exact moment. Groaning, Chase leaned back, glaring at the door. 

Sam stood up and picked up her weapon from the bedside table. She turned back to the bed where Chase was waiting and smiled a little. “I’m going to get some sleep,” she said, moving toward the door.

Chase nodded. “Probably a good idea.” 

Without warning, she suddenly had the urge to kiss Chase good-bye. She reasoned to herself if was probably because they had just had such an intimate conversation plus their earlier activities. Still, she had to watch herself. It would not be good to start acting on these impulses. Instead, she smiled and bid Chase good-night before going to open the door.

O’Neill stood on the other side, looking curious and maybe a little devious as well. Oh, he was probably going to milk every bit of teasing out of this experience that he could, Sam thought to herself. Surprising her, he merely asked, “Everything okay?” Then he glanced past her into the room. The woman inside was no longer on the bed, but digging in her pack for something. He looked back at his second in command.

Sam nodded and gestured toward the door across the hall. “Is that for me?”

He smiled and nodded. “See you at 1800,” he said and pushed her toward her room. She smiled and opened the door, barely managing to drop her pack before sinking onto the bed. Unclipping her P90, she laid it on the bedside table and turned over on a bed slightly smaller than the one on which she had just been sitting. Her eyes scanned the small room briefly before they closed, and she was sound asleep.

*

Colonel O’Neill stepped inside the room Sam had recently left and closed the door behind him with his free hand. Turning to the other occupant, he noticed she had found what she was looking for in her bag and was currently pulling the brush through her unruly hair. Her gaze was fixed upon what he was carrying in his arms, a scowl fixed on her face.

“Another dress?” she asked, wincing as she brushed through a particularly knotted section of hair.

He glanced down at the blue material draped over his arm and acted as if he hadn’t seen it there before her question. “Oh, this old thing?” he said, unable to stop the smirk.

Chase smiled and shook her head, holding out a hand for the outfit. “Very funny, Colonel,” she replied as he handed it over.

He shrugged in reply, the wry smile still upon his features. “I try, Lieutenant, I try,” he said as he glanced around the room, noting how much larger it was than any other he’d seen in the building. Letting out a low whistle, he commented, “Gods sure do live in style around here, don’t they?”

Rolling her eyes, Chase grabbed her pack and headed for the washroom. “Whatever you say, sir, whatever you say.”

O’Neill smiled in her direction and switched into his serious mode. “We have about ten minutes before we’re supposed to meet Ishmael at the front gate. He wanted to show us around and get your opinion on the place,” he told her, wandering out onto the balcony as he waited.

There was a soft sigh from the washroom, quickly followed by a question, “And what is my opinion?” 

The colonel snorted quietly and swallowed a laugh. It might be possible that all of this was going to his head, since it was quite obviously not going to hers. It was slightly humorous to him that even though the villagers thought Chase was in charge, and it was actually him, her superior officer, who was calling the shots. He shrugged to no one in particular and responded, “It’s fine the way it is. Just needs a system of government, which you will give them.”

“With Ishmael in charge?” Chase asked as she stepped out onto the balcony completely dressed but barefoot, pulling up her hair into its usual ponytail.

He nodded in reply, averting his eyes so he wouldn’t cause the kind of scorn he’d received the night before from his comment about how she was dressed. “Sounds good to me,” he added after a brief moment, leaning his elbows on the railing and straining his eyes against the darkness.

Chase watched him closely for a moment before mimicking his posture a few feet from him. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” she asked quietly.

“Wonder what?” he responded, still searching for something in the dark.

“How it would look in the daylight,” she replied, apparently trying to imagine it herself.

He smiled a little and pushed back from the railing. “Yeah, I guess so,” he said, almost to himself before turning back to her. “Go put some shoes on. We’ve got a busy day ahead.”

*

The radio beside the bed crackled and flared to life, waking Arianna and her companion with a start. “Daniel,” O’Neill’s voice announced itself with a rather annoyed tone, “I thought you were gonna meet us by the front gates.”

The man being addressed scrambled for his glasses and, after hurriedly slipping them onto his face, grabbed the radio. He smashed the side down, cleared his throat and responded, “Good morning to you, too, Jack.” He jumped out of bed and began pulling on what clothes he could find scattered about the floor.

“Skip the pleasantries, Daniel,” O’Neill replied. “Just get your ass down here as quick as you can.”

Daniel pressed the button again and held the box to his lips. “You got it,” he replied before tossing the instrument on the bed and continuing to gather his clothes.

Arianna watched Daniel’s dance with amusement as she sat up and stretched. The sheets fell from her body and exposed her bare breasts to the room as she reached her arms over head. Grinning, she dropped her arms and said quietly, “Well, it’s a shame that has to end so early.”

The brown-haired man paused in tying his boots and glanced up at her. “What do you mean? I thought we had a great time.”

She nodded, pulling her knees up to her chest and leaning her arms on the white sheets still covering them. “It was a great time. I was just hoping for another great time after we woke up.” She pouted just a little, her blue eyes sparkling.

“I wish,” he replied, finishing the one boot and moving to the other. “You heard him. I’ve got to go.”

“Says who?” Arianna asked, patting the bed beside her.

Blue eyes met blue as Daniel’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “Says the man who can fire me if I don’t do as he says,” he replied, shrugging into his jacket. “You should probably get moving, too,” he added as he pulled on his vest and headed for the door. “You said yourself you’re no closer to figuring this thing out than when we got here.”

She scowled and folded her arms across her chest. “Fine,” she replied glancing toward the only window in the room.

“I’ll see you later,” Daniel said, waiting for a moment to see acknowledge him before he left. Then he shook his head and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

*

As Colonel O’Neill walked into the room, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight that met his eyes: Lt. Chase Marks clad in a royal blue gown, her black hair pulled tightly in a ponytail falling over her tan, toned arms, and her head resting on those arms, which were crossed on the dark wood of the tabletop. He couldn’t see her face until he moved closer and she raised her head at the sound of his approaching footsteps. At the sight of his small smirk and raised eyebrows, the young, Hispanic woman groaned and leaned back in her chair, folding one arm over the other.

“Doing all right in here, Marks?” he asked, the teasing evident in his voice.

She nodded glumly, stifling a yawn. “Sorry, Sir,” she said sullenly, “Haven’t been getting enough sleep.”

Jack grinned and clapped his subordinate officer’s shoulder lightly. “It’s been a long two weeks. Nobody expects you to be perfect.”

Chase rolled her eyes. “Except for the villagers,” she groaned and slid her arms out and down the rough surface of the table, once again laying her head on her arms. She sighed and looked at the man who had recruited her to the Stargate Program. “How much longer will I be expected to keep this up?”

O’Neill shrugged before sitting down next to her. “Daniel’s been kind of busy lately," he said, ignoring her snort of apparent disapproval and went on, “But I don’t think too much longer. Why?” He winked at her. “Got a hot date you’re dying to go on when we get back?”

“Very funny, sir,” she said, smiling a little.

He shook his head and glanced back to the door, resting his hands on his P90. Shrugging, he replied, “Well, you never know. I know that’s why I can’t wait to get out here,” he remarked, appreciating the smile that was elicited from that statement.

The door chose that moment to open, putting an end to the officers’ conversation as Daniel Jackson and Ishmael entered the room.

*

What Chase had neglected to tell Colonel O’Neill were the reasons she wasn’t getting the sleep she probably should on this mission. If it were just the nightmares, she probably wouldn’t mind sharing with him. Still, she would prefer to keep them to herself if she could. It didn’t need to get out that she was going soft, especially not now. So the plan was to keep it to herself as long as possible.

Well, herself and Sam, actually, since the older woman was usually the one to wake her from them. That part Chase didn’t seem to mind as much and almost looked forward to the early morning hours, in which she and Sam would fill with talking, laughing, and just getting to know each other. In fact, the nightmares had actually lessened in the past week, something Chase attributed to the presence of the older woman. Still, even though the nightmares were becoming less frequent, she found herself awakening early so that she could spend that time with the amazing woman. So as much as she couldn’t wait for the end of this mission so that her services as “goddess” would be over, she also felt a pang of sadness when she thought about the early morning visits coming to an end. Funny how two weeks on an alien planet had completely turned her life upside down – and not in a bad way.

What was wrong with her? Yes, there was no doubt she was tired – and missing sleep was not helping – but it was more than that. She had enough experience to know that the beginning stage of a relationship was normally filled with these bubbling, happy emotions, a lack of concentration on anything but the other person, and a certain amount of euphoric light-headedness. Still, being on a mission with the object of her almost every waking thought and desires was more difficult than anything she had experienced before. She found her thoughts drifting while Ishmael and Dr. Jackson talked about setting up a government and leaders, doing her best not to look and sound confused when they tried to include her in the conversation. More than that, she had to make sure that she didn’t blush or look guilty whenever Colonel O’Neill caught her being distracted, her thoughts elsewhere, on a conversation she and Sam had earlier or just on the beautiful woman herself. Chase couldn’t remember ever being this enamored with someone before.

Her most recent relationship didn’t start a bit like this. Of course, she had decided some time ago that relationship was not going to be a template for any others unless it was an example of what not to do. It was Chase’s personal opinion, that she didn’t mind sharing with anyone who asked, that her ex was crazy, but she was forced to keep in contact. Constant reminders were so not her style but…

Suddenly aware that every eye in the room was on her, Chase blinked a few times and shook her head, looking to Colonel O’Neill for guidance. There was no way to pretend she had any idea what was going on this time. The older man cleared his throat and turned to the other occupants of the room. “Well, folks, why don’t we take a break? Stretch our legs? Let’s say we’ll meet back here in fifteen minutes.” Ishmael and Dr. Jackson nodded in response and stood to go, talking quietly to each other as they left the room.

O’Neill waited until the door closed behind them before he turned to Chase. “All right, Marks,” he started, fixing her with a serious look, “I’m not going to say that you’re doing a bad job, but I can’t say that it’s a necessarily a good one, either. I know you. You like things to be as close to perfect as you can get ‘em. So what’s going on?”

Chase sighed and leaned back in her chair, running her hands over her face. After a few minutes, she moved back to the table and regained eye contact with her superior officer. “I’m sorry again, sir. I should have been more honest with you from the start,” she said, still hesitating as she stilled her fidgeting hands by folding them on the dark surface.

“Honest about what?” he asked, leaning forward in his own chair.

“Well, as much as I like Ishmael and trust that his intentions are good, I can’t exactly get comfortable here,” she started, delicately trying to side-step the actual reason for lack of concentration.

O’Neill smiled a little and nodded. “Yeah, I can understand that,” he commented. “Between what happened with Braga and then you and Carter being drugged, I’m having a hard time completely trusting these people, too.” 

“Yes, sir,” she said simply, hoping that was the end of it.

He scratched his head and continued, much to her dismay, “But I don’t see how that’s making you lose focus. If anything, I’d think you’d be hyper vigilant.” 

She cringed a little at his words, dropping her hands to her lap and feeling the soft material of the gown she wore brush against her fingers. She knew he was right. “Yes, sir, normally I would, but my lack of sleep has been interfering with my focus. I guess I’m so attuned to what’s going on in the environment, trying to be aware of any dangers, that I lose concentration on what’s going on right in front of me.” She drew in a deep breath, waiting to see if she had come up with a believable lie. It was scary how good she was becoming at this.

He nodded. “Okay, Marks, I’ll buy that.” He shook a finger at her, but his face still held the smile. “But do you think you could focus, just for another hour, on the task at hand?”

She nearly beamed at him as she nodded and answered quickly, “Yes, sir, I think I can handle that.”

*


	6. Chapter 6

That night, Sam entered the room Chase occupied to find the other woman still clad in the same royal blue silky gown the villagers had provided that morning. Usually Chase changed clothes as soon as she was back in the safety of the bedroom and the doors shut securely behind her. The Latina woman was seated cross-legged on the bed, some sort of hard surface on her lap, supporting a piece of some sort of parchment upon which Chase was writing. As Sam drew closer, she could see that the other woman was copying something from a notebook to the parchment, the handwriting in the notebook recognizable to the Air Force major as her teammate’s.

“What does Daniel have you writing?” Sam asked quietly.

Chase shrugged, not looking up from her work. “Some guidelines for the village for after we leave. He said if I finished it tonight, we could go home tomorrow.”

“Ah,” Sam replied, smiling as she sat gently at the end of the bed, watching the younger woman closely. “Good motivation.”

The cross-legged woman paused briefly in her writing and smiled, almost more to herself than Sam. “Yeah,” she replied without looking up and resumed her writing. “Should be done in a minute,” she added softly.

Smiling gently, Sam reached over and squeezed Chase’s knee lightly. “Take your time,” she answered, standing and walking to the balcony. 

*

When Chase finally finished, she dropped the pen and the parchment onto the bedside table and shook her writing hand a few times. Stretching her hands over her head and smiling, she glanced over to where Sam was now seated by balcony. The blonde grinned back at her.

“That’s the end of that,” Chase stated, standing and stretching her legs.

“Eager to get home?” Sam asked. Chase smiled and nodded, her hands tugging at her skirt. Sam turned her head as Chase began to change. It wasn’t lost to her that the younger woman never wore a bra under the dresses she was forced to don every day on this mission. Blue eyes darted away as the silky material was pulled up and over Chase’s head in one fluid motion, Sam’s pulse quickening at the brief sight of perky breasts and dusty nipples before Chase turned away, back toward the bed. The younger woman showed no sign that she noticed Sam’s reaction before pulling on a plain black tee and BDU pants.

“Much better,” Chase commented, grinning as she sat back down onto the mattress.

Sam’s mouth had gone dry, she noted to herself as she watched the beautiful woman stretch out her sore muscles slowly and deliberately. Taking a deep breath, the blonde wet her lips and swallowed hard, shifting uncomfortably in the hard chair. Quickly she moved her thoughts to other matters. “So…” she started, the smile returning to her face, “What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get home? You know, after we’re cleared to leave the base?”

Chase’s face lit up as she answered excitedly and without delay, “Go see Tracy and hold her tightly in my arms.”

Grinning, Sam nodded. “I should have guessed that.” The thought of Tracy reminded Sam of Cassie. That thought spurred another. “So has Janet roped you into helping out at Cassie’s birthday party yet?”

Nodding, Chase replied with a shake of her head and what looked like a sarcastic roll of her eyes, saying, “Oh, yeah, that woman plans things early.”

They fell silent for a moment, Sam lost in her own thoughts. Finally, Sam moved to sit beside Chase on the bed and hesitantly covered Chase’s hand with her own. “How often do you get to see Tracy?”

The younger woman looked down at their now intertwined hands and replied softly, “As much as I can, which isn’t much. But we’ve got it set up so that every time I get back from a mission, the first thing I do is go see her.” Chase smiled, but there was a twinge of sadness still apparent on her face. “It’s not the same as when I lived with them, but it’s the best I can do.”

Sam smiled back and squeezed Chase’s hand lightly. “I’m sure Tracy appreciates it,” she replied. There was more she wanted to know, but she wasn’t sure if she should ask. Still, Chase had been very open with her, and they had both discussed some very personal things in the course of the last two weeks. Sam decided to take another chance. “Besides the fact that Chloe is…mentally unbalanced…” Sam started, returning what appeared to be an amused smile from Chase, “Is it all right if I ask what else led to your break-up?”

Chase’s expression darkened and she pursed her lips together, turning away from Sam. She seemed to think it over for a few moments, but Sam could tell Chase wasn’t comfortable with the question.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Sam murmured when it didn’t seem like Chase was going to answer.

Chase shook her head. “No, it’s only fair that you know all the facts before you make a decision about me,” she said, finally turning to look at the woman beside her. “She is, after all, still in my life because of Tracy.” She took a deep breath and looked away, running a hand over her unruly ponytail. “There were a lot of reasons I decided to call it off. I guess the biggest thing was that she wanted me to leave the Air Force, find a ‘normal’ job, you know?” 

Sam nodded. 

“I couldn’t do it. I love my job and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She couldn’t accept that. We argued about it constantly until one day I couldn’t argue anymore.” Chase sighed and leaned into Sam’s shoulder, dropping her dark eyes to her lap and their still intertwined hands. “This life isn’t for everyone. I thought she knew what she was getting into when we got together, but apparently I was wrong.”

Sam nodded sympathetically and smoothed Chase’s hair away from her face as she replied softly, “She thought she could change you.” Which is ridiculous, her mind added, you don’t need to be changed.

“Oh, yeah, big time,” was the quiet reply.

Sam smiled down at the top of the brunette’s dark head. “You don’t have to worry about that with me,” she commented lightly, removing her hand so that she could wrap her arm around Chase’s shoulder.

The woman in her arms chuckled. “Nope,” she replied, “But you will most likely have to deal with my crazy ex. You think you can handle that?”

Sam let out a small peal of laughter. “I can handle crazy, yellow-eyed demons hell bent on ruling the galaxy. I think I can handle one crazy ex-girlfriend.” Besides, her brain continued for her, I already said I would, weeks ago.

“Okay,” Chase replied, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Her eyelids appeared to grow heavy as Chase snuggled into Sam's body. 

*

Chase must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew she was lying flat on the bed and Sam was shaking her shoulder to wake her. She yawned and blinked up at the blonde woman, fighting the hold sleep had on her. “Was I talking in my sleep again?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

“No,” Sam whispered, motioning for her to get up. “I wanted you to see something.”

Chase blinked a few more times and sat up, watching as Sam moved back to the balcony. She groaned quietly to herself before slowly throwing one leg after the other off the side of the bed. Stretching her arms and yawning, she rubbed her eyes one last time before dropping her arms onto the mattress and pushing herself onto her bare feet. They silently padded on the cold stone floor as she made her way over to the balcony, still trying to wake herself from the unusually peaceful slumber from which she had awakened.

All was silent as she approached the railing, but she had noticed a faint pink glow to her now familiar surroundings. She raised her head and her breath caught in her throat as the sight of a multicolored horizon filled her view. Hues of pink, purple, and blue filled the sky and accented the slight cloud or fog cover that graced the early morning. Glancing over at Sam, she took in the sight of the blonde bathed in the morning light and drew in a deep, calming breath at the gorgeous sight.

“How?” she asked quietly, willing her vision to return to the horizon where the tips of two twin suns were starting to appear.

Sam shrugged. “I have no idea,” she whispered, eyes still forward toward the sunrise.

They stood there in silence for a few moments, both enjoying the beautiful view and the soft, warm rays on their skin. Chase was wondering if she had ever shared as romantic a moment with anyone else and, as if on cue, Sam’s hand slid quietly along the railing, covering hers without a word. There was no doubt now for Chase, this was now the most romantic moment of her life – and on a mission, no less. She wondered if part of her should mind that detail, but her heart certainly did not. She felt like it was about to explode as it was beating so fast, and she couldn’t help but grin as they watched the suns rise before them.

Suddenly, there was an urgent knock on the door. Both women jumped away from each other as if burned. Nervous smiles sprang to their faces before Chase tucked some stray hair from her ponytail behind her ear and made her way back inside the room. Her cheeks felt hot, and she hoped her blush wasn’t obvious as she pulled open the heavy door.

Colonel O’Neill and Ishmael stood on the other side, the village leader grinning from ear to ear and the colonel sporting a wry smile of his own. Chase did her best to smile genuinely in return, even though she was a little annoyed they had interrupted such a spectacular moment. She leaned against the wooden door and was about to greet them, but Ishmael spoke first.

“Thank you, great goddess, for bringing back our suns!” he exclaimed, pure adoration shining in his eyes.

She was extremely glad they were leaving soon, as she didn’t know how much more of this she could stand. Her gaze moved from the villager to her commanding officer. “Was Dr. Simons successful with her research?” she asked, trying to keep her mind focused on the task at hand rather than Ishmael’s worship – or the beautiful woman she had left on the balcony.

O’Neill shook his head. “Just went by there. She said she had reached a dead end. Knew it wasn’t something natural, but had no idea how to reverse it.” Ishmael’s grin grew smaller as he tried to process this new information. Colonel O’Neill went on. “But there is a new development I think you’ll want to see,” he said, obviously disguising an order with a request. Chase stifled a giggle.

“Oh?” she asked, prompting him to continue.

“Yeah, you may want to grab your gear and meet me at the front gate,” O’Neill replied, also looking relieved that the mission was almost over.

Chase searched for a reply that didn’t sound like she was following orders as she sensed Ishmael’s eyes on her. Finally, she nodded and stated, “Okay, I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.”

He nodded in return, throwing a sideways glance at Ishmael before tipping the brim of his hat in her direction. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, hiding his amused smile by turning and walking away. Chase motioned for Ishmael to follow him before closing the door.

*

Chase decided to put on her battle dress uniform since there was no dress laid out for her and Colonel O’Neill had told her to “grab her gear”. She hoped that meant they were leaving after this last stop. Sam walked beside her as they approached the village gate, the rays of the sun warm and welcome, although a little strange after so much time without. Chase imagined it was even stranger for the villagers, who had endured months of darkness.

As they approached, Chase became aware of another unusual thing, something the villagers apparently also found out of place because instead of crowding her (thank God) they were all pushing and crowding one another, gazing up into the sky. She followed their line of vision and discovered the steel, cold presence of a ship outlined against the bright sky. She wondered if it had been there the entire time, hidden by the all-encompassing darkness.

Answering another of her unspoken questions, the woman beside her spoke. “That’s an Asgard ship,” Sam said quietly. Her tone betrayed no emotion other than surprise.

There was no time to respond as they came to a stop next to Colonel O’Neill and Ishmael. Chase spotted Teal’c and Doctors Jackson and Simons as they made their way through the distracted crowd towards them. Hope surged in her at the sight: they were headed home at last. But first, she reminded herself as she turned back to the ship before them, first she had to meet an alien.

O’Neill smiled a little in her direction and asked quietly, “You ready to meet your first Asgard, Marks?”

She smiled in return and shrugged slightly. “As I’ll ever be,” she replied before ducking her head and asking in a whisper, “You’ll take point on this right?”

He laughed and nodded as a bright beam of light appeared before them and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, leaving in its wake a small, grey alien. With the exception of its coloring, this was the epitome of what every American imagined an alien to be: large, bald head; big, black eyes; small, spindly arms and body. She had read about the Asgard in countless reports but had never seen one before.

O’Neill approached it – him? her? – with a broad grin and enthusiastic greeting, “Thor! How are ya, buddy?”

“I am afraid I am troubled and saddened, O’Neill,” the alien replied. 

Chase guessed he was male, despite its nudity and lack of genitalia, due to his voice, name, and O’Neill’s greeting.

“Oh, yeah?” O’Neill replied, his smile fading. “Why’s that?”

“I am saddened by the phenomena that we inadvertently caused for this planet. I did not realize the planet was inhabited or else I would have rectified the situation sooner.”

O’Neill shrugged. “All’s fine here,” he started, motioning for Chase to join them. “Thanks to this person right here,” he finished and Chase could feel her cheeks start to burn again. “Thor, I’d like to you meet Lt. Chase Marks.”

Thor inclined his head. “Pleased to meet you, Lt. Marks.”

“An honor to meet you,” Chase replied, mirroring his motions. “But if you wish to apologize to these people, there is someone else you should meet,” she said, waving at Ishmael to join them.

He shuffled over, his gaze on the dusty ground, an expression of awe covering his face. Chase smiled at him. “This is Ishmael, leader of these people.”

Before Ishmael could protest this title, Thor inclined his head and stated, “Ishmael, leader of your people, the Asgard extend our sincere apologies for the darkness that covered your land.”

His eyes wide, Ishmael lifted his head and gaped openly at the alien. “You must be a powerful god to control the suns and stars.”

Chase could have sworn she hard Thor sigh before glancing up at O’Neill, “Is there not a god for these people?”

O’Neill cleared his throat. “Well, they are under our protection and guidance,” he replied.

“That is good to know,” the grey alien intoned, nodding at Ishmael. “Go now.”

Ishmael nodded excitedly and moved away, shouting the news to the crowd. O’Neill turned back to Thor. “You’ll still check in, right?”

“Of course. We are aware of your…limitations.” He gazed back up at his ship. “Thank you for your help in this matter.”

The colonel nodded. “Anytime, my friend,” he replied. “Guess this means we’ll see you around.”

“Indeed, O’Neill. Be safe.” And with that, he was gone.

Chase blinked a few times before turning to her commanding officer. “Are your dealings with them always so…abrupt?”

He laughed and nodded. “Usually.” He turned back to the rest of the team. “Ready to go home?”

Sam and Chase shared a small smile before she turned back to Colonel O’Neill. “Actually, sir, there’s one more thing I have to do before we leave.”

“Oh?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow. She nodded and waited for his response. After a beat, he motioned back toward the village. “Well?” he asked, obviously waiting for her to act.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, blushing slightly. “Yes, sir,” she said, quickly setting of in the direction of the crowd, passing the other members of SG1 and a very disgruntled looking Dr. Simons.

Finally, she reached her destination. The excited crowd grew silent at the sight of their soon to be gone goddess. She placed a comforting hand on Ishmael’s shoulder and turned him away from the others. “You have all that you need to be a great leader,” she told him softly, pride evident in her voice. As much as he annoyed her, he had also impressed her in the short weeks they had spent together. “I know you will do well,” she added, seeing the apprehensive look on his face.

He bowed his head to her and she noticed for the first time the tears that glistened in his eyes. “You will be missed greatly, Lt. Marks.” She noticed that he did not call her “goddess” but didn't comment on it. “Thank you for all you have done for my people.”

She nodded, resisting the urge to hug the man. She doubted that would be good for her image. “You are more than welcome, my friend.” She turned and said one last good-bye to the people before joining her team once more.

O’Neill looked first to the crowd than back at Chase. “Now are you ready?” he asked, sarcasm clearly evident in his tone. There was no mistaking he was not going to miss having to pretend to take orders from a lieutenant.

Chase smiled and nodded, turning away from the village and toward the stargate. “Ready, sir,” she replied as the six of them fell into step, a loosely formed group, following the colonel on their march back home.


End file.
